Pubdate: Tue, 17 Aug 2004 Source: Manila Times (Philippines) Copyright: 2004, The Manila Times Contact: http://www.manilatimes.net/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/921 Author: Ben Gamos, Central Luzon Bureau Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?236 (Corruption - Outside U.S.) POLICE NAB 4 CIVILIAN AGENTS FOR KIDNAP CAMP GENERAL ALEJO S. SANTOS, Bulacan-Chief Supt. Videl E. Querol, Central Luzon police director, has called for the dismissal of civilian agents in law enforcement agencies after two Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) civilian agents were arrested Monday for kidnapping. Querol identified the arrested PDEA civilian agents Delfin Rodriguez Santos Jr., 49, and Antonio Gutierrez Ong, 52, both married. They were nabbed during an entrapment laid out by the Marilao police at a fast-food outlet while receiving ransom money demanded from kidnapped victims George Carolino Galuco, 20, and his wife, Maricel Pascual, 20, at 12:30 a.m. Monday. The young couple are engaged in the garments business. Querol noted that the employment of civilian agents by law enforcement agencies has given the agencies a bad image owing to their "extra-legal operations." Police confiscated from the arrested suspects a 45-caliber pistol marked Auto Ordinance, with Serial Number AO396161, and a .9mm pistol marked Armscor, with Serial Number 883827, ammunition for the firearms and P10,000 in marked money used in the operations. Their third cohort managed to escape. Police said during the custodial investigation that the arrested pair turned out to be civilian agents of the PDEA. They each had a PDEA identification card signed by one police Chief Insp. Manuel Chica, whose designation at the PDEA, however, was not mentioned by the police. Supt. Felizardo M. Serapio Jr., Bulacan police provincial director, said Santos and Ong, suspected members of a kidnap-for-ransom group, and an unidentified cohort were riding a Toyota Corolla when they abducted the couple at 11 p.m. Sunday on the MacArthur Highway in Barangay Saluysuy, Meycauayan. The group released the husband and initially demanded P40,000 for the safe release of his wife. The suspects told Galuco that the pay off should be at the Burger Machine stall in Barangay Tabig Ilog in Marilao. But instead of cooperating, Galuco reported the incident to the Marilao police who immediately laid out a plan that led to the arrest of the suspects and the rescue of Mrs. Galuco. Serapio ordered Supt. Arnold Gunnacao, chief of the Bulacan police intelligence and investigation branch, to dig deeper into the case to determine the linkage of Santos and Ong with kidnapping groups operating in Bulacan, Metro Manila and nearby provinces. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart