Makati cop nabbed after extorting money from motorcycle taxi drivers

Just plain wrong.

The Philippine National Police Counter-Intelligence Task Force (PNP-CITF) arrested a deputy commander belonging to the Makati City Police earlier today after he was caught in the act of allegedly extorting money from a habal-habal driver or a motorbike driver in Taguig City.

The suspect was identified as Senior Police Officer 4 Danilo Paghubasan, 54, who was nabbed during an entrapment operation after he allegedly took the PHP15,000 (US$283.89) used by the PNP-CITF to bait him at around 6:45am, Sunstar reported.

According to CITF Commander Superintendent Romeo Caramat, the authorities have been observing the suspect for two weeks prior to his arrest in Barangay (Village) Ususan in Taguig City, radio station RMN reported.

Paghubasan was arrested after a motorbike driver named Arman Lucero complained that he allegedly extorted PHP15,000 (US$283.89) from him. The amount would serve as Lucero’s “membership fee” to operate at a terminal along C5 Road in Pallar Village, a Philippine Daily Inquirer report said.

The suspect allegedly told Lucero that he would issue him a traffic violation and that the driver will not be allowed to pick up passengers if he did not pay the amount, the report added.

Paghubasan also allegedly collects PHP150 (US$2.84) from motorcycle taxi drivers in the area daily, earning a total of PHP6,000 (US$113.50) a day.

Metro Manila chief Director Guillermo Eleazar had some harsh words for the cop.

He was quoted by ABS-CBN News saying in Filipino during his command visit in Quezon City earlier today: “He’s almost about to retire and his salary was doubled and increased — but what did he do? Bring shame to his family. What kind of police is that?”

The 54-year-old suspect was only two years away from the police force’s mandatory retirement age.

Paghubasan is detained at the CITF office in Camp Crame. He will face charges in violation of Article 293 of the Revised Penal Code or robbery through violence or intimidation, and Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.