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Memorandum: 1 Grande, G. (2015, March 26) - 'Porsiyentuhan' Sa 'Bounty' NG Mga Pulis, Informant
Memorandum: 1 Grande, G. (2015, March 26) - 'Porsiyentuhan' Sa 'Bounty' NG Mga Pulis, Informant
Memorandum: 1 Grande, G. (2015, March 26) - 'Porsiyentuhan' Sa 'Bounty' NG Mga Pulis, Informant
MEMORANDUM
Is the cash reward system provided by the Philippine Government a reward for
the tipsters or an avenue for wrongful arrests?
The Government released more than P280 million as bounty for information
leading to the capture of alleged terrorists from 2004-2014. However, the issue of the 51
wrongful arrests committed by the police over the aforementioned period in its fight
against terrorist group Abu Sayaf remains to be prevalent.
In the countrys persistent pursuit of the most wanted men, the PNP has seized
two Black Tungkang, three Jerome Mustakim, three Edwin Sawaldi, two Ustadz
Hamad Idris, two Mohammad Said Sali, two Abdasil Dima, two Madia Hamja and
two Hussein Kasim.
This was affirmed by retired police Supt. Jess Kabigting, former chief of the
Philippine National Police (PNP) Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)
General Investigation Unit. Kabigting said that a policeman receiving share of the
reward money was normal practice, evidently part of an unwritten rule among
officers and informers. Kabigting admitted that he was involved in the arrest of several
high-profile cases the past decade.
However, in an investigative report of ABS-CBN News, notwithstanding ban,
the police took a share of the bounty and arrested a number of wrong men, leaving the
real terrorists scot-free.1
1 Grande, G. (2015, March 26). 'Porsiyentuhan' sa 'bounty' ng mga pulis, informant.
people who are innocent shall be released. Moreover, they shall serve as watchdogs in
every reward that is awarded to individuals who submit information to the authorities.
Furthermore, there is a need to strengthen the penalties against people who are
guilty of the aforementioned crime. Because the system seems to be lax in punishing
police officers who conspire with the other individuals, the independent body should be
strict in implementing a more rigid punishment towards them.
The PNP continues the commission of wrongful arrests, there is a probability
that the real criminals are still in force. And if we continue this flawed system, more
innocent people will suffer the crime they have never done.