Ten police officers in Angono, Rizal were removed from duty and stripped of their firearms after a criminology student accused them of serious abuses, including evidence planting, extortion, robbery, and illegal arrest, the Police Regional Office 4A said Wednesday.
Police Brig. Gen. Paul Kenneth Lucas, PRO-4A regional director, ordered the officers’ immediate relief and placed them under restrictive custody at the Rizal Police Provincial Office while complaints against them are being investigated.
Lucas said the move was a preventive step and did not preclude the filing of administrative or criminal cases once evidence is assessed. He did not identify the officers involved.
The allegations stemmed from a complaint lodged with the National Police Commission (Napolcom) on Feb. 10 by 24-year-old criminology student Nestor Makabenta, who accused 10 members of the Angono police anti-drug unit of repeated abuses.
Makabenta claimed he was apprehended by plainclothes officers during an alleged anti-drug operation in November 2025, taken against his will, and robbed of personal belongings while being pressured to pay a large sum for his release.
He further alleged that he was physically abused and threatened while in custody and remained detained even after partial payment was made, until the case against him was later dismissed.
The complainant also cited a similar arrest in 2024, saying his release then was secured only after a cash payment, and claimed he was repeatedly targeted because of his father’s alleged links to illegal drugs.
Napolcom officials said the officers could face administrative cases for grave misconduct and conduct unbecoming of police personnel, alongside possible criminal charges for extortion, robbery, illegal arrest, and planting of evidence.
Lucas said PRO-4A would cooperate fully with Napolcom, stressing that the regional police command would not shield personnel accused of wrongdoing and would act to protect public trust in the force.
