THE police chief of Sasmuan town was arrested by the Philippine National Police Counter-Intelligence Task Force (PNP-CITF) on Tuesday for allegedly extorting money from a “peryahan” (carnival) manager operating within his jurisdiction.
Pampanga Provincial Police Office (PPPO) Director Senior Superintendent Joel Consulta identified the police officer as Chief Inspector Romeo Bulanadi, who is detailed in Sasmuan town for about 18 months now.
Consulta said the PNP-CITF conducted an entrapment operation against Bulanadi on Tuesday night after an anonymous source reported his alleged extortion activity.
During the operation, Bulanadi allegedly personally received P30,000 extortion money from the carnival operator inside his office in the Sasmuan Police Station.
“During the entrapment, positive na tinanggap ni Bulanadi ang pera mula sa ‘perya’ operator according to CITF kaya agad siyang inaresto at dinala sa Camp Crame where he is detained now,” Consulta disclosed, adding that Bulanadi was the only one arrested in the operation.
Consulta said that the PNP-CITF will immediately file criminal and administrative charges against Bulanadi after further investigation is conducted, as Police Regional Office III Director Chief Superintendent Amador Corpus has reportedly ordered the immediate relief of Bulanadi from his post.
Meanwhile, Consulta said that there are no pending cases against Bulanadi in the PPPO and just received his rank promotion as chief inspector on September 2017.
He, however, said that Bulanadi’s situation is an isolated case and the provincial police is strengthening its monitoring activities among its personnel.
Bulanadi’s case follows the arrest on Monday of six policemen and two civilians in Nueva Ecija similarly over alleged extortion.
Consulta also reminded all Pampanga police, especially officials, that the PNP is keen on its internal cleansing and will not hesitate to remove scalawags who continue to taint their ranks.
“They should always think twice or thrice before doing anything illegal dahil alam naman nila that the PNP is after everyone who violates the law, including its personnel. They must think of themselves, the organization and their own families first, lalo na ngayon tumaas na ang sahod ng mga pulis,” he said.