Mabolo cops to be probed; payola allegations denied

Some of the police officers in the Mabolo Police Precinct or Cebu City’s Police Station 4 will be investigated for alleged extortion from a person working in a carnival or peryahan in Barangay Busay in Cebu City.

Supt. Artemio Ricabo, deputy director for administration of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said they would look into the complaint of a person working in a peryahan claiming that police officers from the precinct asked for a weekly payola from the peryahan people.

The complainant, whose name was withheld for security reasons, first aired his grievances over the radio through a radio anchor.

He claimed that police officers allegedly asked to be paid a payola of P3,000 a week and a sack of rice.

The complainant also said that he chose to air his grievances after the police officers allegedly raised their demands from P1,000 a week to P3,000 a week.

Ricabo said that they would look into the allegations and would file administrative charges against those who committed the crime if proven to be true.

Ricabo also said that he had already an initial talk with the Deputy Station Commander of Mabolo Police Precinct, who denied the allegations that some of the police officers in the precinct asked for a payola.

Ricabo said that Mabolo Police Precinct personnel operated against those people because they received complaints about the illegal activities of those people, who operated a semi-carnival (peryahan) which is an illegal activity.

Supt. Ryan Devaras, CCPO Investigation and Detection Management Branch chief, said that the Internal Affairs Service of the CCPO would also look into the allegations.