NCRPO Chief Sidney Hernia participated in at least two controversial anti-POGO operations in Manila, Philippines—Following a controversial raid on a Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hub in Manila's Malate district, Police Major General Sidney Hernia was relieved of his position as the director of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).
The order was signed by the headquarters of the Philippine National Police (PNP) on November 6 and took effect on Thursday, November 7. Interior Minister Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla confirmed Hernia's dismissal to Rappler.
He also confirmed that in Hernia's absence, Police Brigadier General Reynaldo Tamondong was appointed as the acting NCRPO director.
“He is under administrative investigation due to the handling of the Malate raid incident,” Remulla told Rappler.
This dismissal followed a chaotic operation led by NCRPO on October 29, during which authorities raided a hub at Century Peak Tower based on a search warrant. The vice chairman and executive officer of the National Police Commission (Napolcom), Alberto Bernardo, stated that the company owners condemned the raid and filed complaints against NCRPO officials and personnel.
The Philippine National Police also relieved three members of the Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) because they were caught on CCTV moving around the facility half-naked, turning the cameras towards themselves.
At a press conference on Thursday, Philippine National Police spokesperson Police Brigadier General Jean Fajardo stated that Police Major General Ronnie Francis Cariaga of the Philippine National Police’s Anti-Cybercrime Group was also temporarily relieved of his duties.
The Malate operation also sparked a dispute between the NCRPO and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), as the initial report of the raid blamed the operation on PAOCC, but the agency strongly denied this claim. “Please do not associate PAOCC with the flawed operation,” said Winston Casio, who had been suspended by PAOCC after a video surfaced of him slapping a worker during a raid in Bataan on October 31.
Casio apologized for the incident and explained that he and PAOCC personnel were provoked by the worker who allegedly insulted them and gave them the middle finger.
Hernia served as the head of PNP ACG during the chaotic POGO operation in Las Piñas.
Before becoming the NCRPO director, Hernia was the head of PNP ACG, which also participated in another controversial POGO raid on June 27, 2023, in Las Piñas. The Department of Justice (DOJ) also questioned the irregularities in that raid last year.
The so-called POGO center raided was located in the Hongtai compound in Las Piñas, where foreigners were eventually detained.
Subsequently, in July 2023, four foreigners won a writ of amparo case at the Court of Appeals (CA), which ordered the Philippine National Police to release them. The CA's 10th Division stated: “There is evident misconduct that compromised the legality of the law enforcement action on June 27, 2023 (under RA 11862, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act).
The CA noted that the foreigners were detained in the Hong Tai compound, not in proper detention facilities such as those designated by the Department of Justice for deporting foreigners.
On April 19, 2024, a court in Las Piñas City granted the request of the foreign owners of these facilities to recover billions of pesos worth of funds seized during the raid. The order also mentioned that the Department of Justice dismissed the criminal proceedings against the foreigners.
“However, so far, it appears that no criminal proceedings have been initiated against any defendants in court. Given all the circumstances, this court has no choice but to approve the motion for the immediate release of the seized items,” said the court order dated April 19, 2024.
