The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) of the Philippines recently erupted in a major scandal, with 8 officers from the Eastern Police District (EPD) Special Operations Unit suspected of armed robbery against a Chinese businessman, involving an amount up to 85 million pesos (approximately 10 million RMB). The incident has shocked Philippine society, and the police have urgently dismissed 31 officers involved in the case.
Meticulously Planned "Law Enforcement Action"
According to the victim's statement, on April 2, 2025, at 1:30 PM, 8 officers claiming to be from the Parañaque City Police forcibly entered his residence in Portofino Heights, Las Piñas City. Shockingly, these officers were not only out of uniform, some even wore slippers while armed.
What's more appalling is that these officers immediately cut off the power and destroyed surveillance equipment upon entering, their professionalism akin to that of career robbers. Further investigations confirmed that these officers actually belonged to the EPD Special Operations Unit (EPD DSOU) of the Philippine National Police, and they did not present any legal search warrant nor notify the local police.
Startling Extortion Process
As described by the victim, two of the officers forcibly took him to the second floor, directly demanding a ransom of 100 million pesos and threatening, "We will sue you unless you pay the amount we demand." Even more chilling, they also threatened to damage the victim's career and reputation in China.
After seeing the valuables in the safe, the six officers who were originally downstairs rushed up and emptied the safe. Preliminary statistics of the stolen goods include:
Cash: 27 million pesos, 430,000 US dollars, 110,000 Malaysian ringgits
Jewelry: Bulgari necklaces and gold bracelets worth about 9.3 million pesos
Luxury watches: Rolex and Audemars Piguet watches valued at 15 million pesos
Other valuable items
Police Emergency Response
Major General Anthony Abellan, the chief of the NCRPO, stated that the 8 directly involved officers have been detained, and the entire special operations unit of 31 officers will be replaced. Abellan emphasized, "This is a clear warning to NCRPO members, we will not tolerate such illegal acts."
The investigation revealed multiple serious violations by the involved officers:
Falsifying arrest warrants
Failure to use law enforcement recorders as required
Unauthorized cross-district law enforcement without leaving their posts
Acting without superior approval
Strong Social Reaction
This case has caused a strong reaction in Philippine society. Local media have widely reported on the incident under the headline "Police Turned Robbers," and the Chinese community is particularly outraged. Notably, although the police admitted to arresting the wrong person, the victim was still illegally detained for nearly 24 hours, and the stolen property has not been returned.
Witnesses reported seeing the involved officers transferring the stolen goods out of the police station, deepening public suspicion of internal corruption within the police force. Chief Abellan stated that the case would be thoroughly investigated, and no leniency would be shown.
Follow-up Tracking
This newspaper will continue to monitor the progress of the case. Currently, the police have promised:
To expedite the recovery of stolen property
To initiate criminal and administrative lawsuits against the involved officers
To thoroughly investigate whether a broader corruption network exists
To strengthen police discipline
This case not only exposes serious issues within the Philippine police force but also sounds a safety alarm for foreign investors in the Philippines. How to rebuild public trust in law enforcement agencies will be a significant challenge facing the Philippine government.
