Philippine police recently reported that 10 officers from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Southern Metro Manila Field Unit have been detained for investigation due to allegations of kidnapping, extortion, and robbery of Chinese citizens.
Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Jean Fajardo stated at a press conference that the incident occurred on February 17, 2025, at 3:45 PM. The involved officers broke into a warehouse inside the "First Tondo Complex" in Manila's Tondo district, took three people to the CIDG office on Lawton Avenue in Taguig City, and accused them of violating the firearms control law.
The ranks of the involved officers vary, including a lieutenant colonel, a major, four captains, a sergeant, and three patrol officers.
According to the investigation, on April 2, the same group broke into the home of a Chinese citizen, Li Jie (transliterated), in the upscale residential area of "Portofino Heights" in Las Piñas City, stealing a large amount of cash, jewelry, and valuable items worth up to 85 million pesos. The three kidnapped individuals were demanded a ransom of 100 million pesos and were eventually released for 18 million pesos.
"They were also taken to a place full of firearms and threatened to pay more cash," Fajardo pointed out. The three victims later reported the incident to the PNP Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG), and the investigation confirmed their statements were true.
Currently, the 10 involved officers have been detained at Camp Crame, and IMEG has recommended criminal and administrative litigation against them for kidnapping, illegal detention, forgery, and violations of the Revised Penal Code. The police stated that these individuals will face charges of "serious misconduct," "actions unbecoming of a police officer," and "gross negligence."
The case has attracted widespread attention and reminds people of similar incidents. In October 2024, the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group and the Metro Manila Police jointly raided the "Xiangfeng Technology" offshore gambling office in Ermita, Manila, arresting 69 foreigners.
Days later, four of the arrested Chinese nationals accused law enforcement officers of illegal arrest and extortion of one million pesos each. Allegedly, a lawyer associated with the police hierarchy was also used as leverage.
The police then promised to initiate an investigation and accelerate internal accountability procedures. Fajardo emphasized: "The Chief of Police has intervened, and we are pushing forward with the summary dismissal procedures for the involved officers, not tolerating such corrupt behavior."
CIDG Director Nicolas Torres III also made a public statement, expressing deep regret over such serious disciplinary violations and emphasizing that such "misdeeds" are not tolerated under his command.
There are also reports that at the beginning of 2025, during a raid on a tech company in Makati City, the police confiscated funds worth 200 million pesos. Although the court later ruled that the company was legally operating and not a gambling den, the funds have not yet been returned, raising doubts.
This series of events has once again intensified concerns about corruption in the Philippine law enforcement system. Comments have noted that although there is no solid data to support the claim that "80% of Philippine police are rogues," these cases clearly show that foreigners, especially Chinese and Koreans, often become primary targets of extortion by corrupt officers.
