Napol comtop exec in extortion probed

BY MAR T. SUPNAD

CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga — National Police Commission chairman Ronaldo Puno, who is also secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government, has ordered the conduct of summary dismissal proceedings, if the evidence warrants, against a top Napolcom official based here who was allegedly caught in the act of extorting money from a widow of a slain policeman.

Ruben delos Santos, chief of the Napolcom’s inspection, audit and planning section here, said Thursday Puno had ordered Napolcom regional director Leonardo Guzman to immediately collate evidence against Eddie Mar Porquerino, Napolcom’s chief of the technical services division in Region 3, and determine if there is prima facie case against him.

"Nakakahiya talaga iyong nangyari na involved ang Napolcom sa ganitong shameful acts and there is no room in Napolcom for an employee like this," said Delos Santos, quoting director Guzman. "Kami ang nagdidisiplina sa mga erring policemen, pero kasama mismo namin ang hinuli dahil sa illegal activities," said Delos Santos.

Porquerino, a lawyer, was arrested morning of Nov. 7 by the Pampanga Criminal Investigation and Detection group agents led by Supt. Florendo Saligao while in the act of extorting money in an entrapment operation inside Greenwich Robinson at Balibago, this city. Porquerino was immediately turned over in handcuffs to Sr. Supt. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar, Regional chief of the CIDG, for the documentation and filing of the charges against him.

The suspect was arrested after Maridel Marzan, wife of the late SPO2 Noel Marzan, formerly with the Nueva Ecija PNP Special Operations Group sought CIDG’s assistance after Porquerino allegedly refused to release the death benefits of her husband in the amount of P100,000. Mrs. Marzan told Eleazar the suspect will not release death benefits of her slain husband unless she doles out R50,000 cash money to him, and threatened to realign the benefits in favor of another claimant.

As this developed, Eleazar said they were expecting more complainants to come out in the open and file charges against Porquerino following reports the latter had also victimized other widow-claimants. Delos Santos said most of the possible complainants were widows of slain policemen. "We are expecting they will come out in the coming days," said Delos Santos.