2 cops, 3 others nabbed for alleged P250,000 PNP ‘slot-for-sale’ scheme

MANILA, Philippines — Two police officers and three civilians were arrested for allegedly demanding P250,000 from an applicant to supposedly secure a slot in the Philippine National Police (PNP), the agency said on Monday.

In a press briefing in Camp Crame, PNP public information chief Col. Allen Rae Co detailed that a 29-year-old applicant had reported the incident to the police, leading to an entrapment operation that caught the three civilian suspects last Saturday in San Fernando City, Pampanga.

“They allegedly approach police applicants online and tell them that they can guarantee their entry into the police force in exchange for payment.,” Co explained.

Article continues after this advertisement

READ: Remulla: Over 200 BFP officers under probe for ‘slot-selling’ scheme

FEATURED STORIES

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

He said the initial P250,000 demand was reduced to P150,000 for the meet-up.

Upon their arrest, the civilian suspects pointed to the implicated police officers: a police lieutenant assigned to the Basilan Provincial Cyber Response Team and a patrolman assigned to the Zambales Provincial Police Office, according to the PNP public information chief.

Police arrested the lieutenant in Quezon City and the patrolman at the Police Regional Office Central Luzon headquarters in Camp Olivas, Pampanga.

Co detailed that the implicated police lieutenant had been in Camp Crame for training.

Article continues after this advertisement

“After investigation, these people had no influence over the recruitment process whatsoever, particularly in Region 3,” Co maintained.

He added that the police lieutenant was the alleged mastermind behind the scheme, while he had enlisted the patrolman and the three civilian suspects to carry out the plan.

Article continues after this advertisement

The PNP public information chief noted that the five arrested suspects have since been taken into police custody, awaiting charges for robbery-extortion in relation to Republic Act No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act.

In his remarks during the flag-raising ceremony in Camp Crame earlier on Monday, PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. condemned the incident as a “serious violation.”

“Don’t make our uniform a business. Recruitment is based on merit, qualification and integrity,” Nartatez said.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.

Your subscription has been successful.

“If you know of anyone involved, report it. No rank, position, connection or length of service will shield wrongdoing from accountability. Becoming a police officer isn’t for sale. You work hard for it, prove it and stand by it,” he added. /das