BACOLOD City – The chief of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) here suspected of extortion was entrapped.
It was merely a month ago when Police Major Melvin Madrona was assigned as head of the CIDG Bacolod unit. His stint ended on Thursday afternoon.
The entrapment was carried out in Hacienda Guanzon, Barangay Mansilingan by operatives of the PNP Integrity Monitoring Enforcement Group (IMEG) Visayas Field Unit, Special Action Force (SAF), and Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO).
A bar owner complained Madrona extorted money from his employees, according to Colonel Romeo Baleros, Negros Occidental police director.
PNP chief Lieutenant General Archie Gamboa was informed, according to Baleros, and an entrapment operation was hatched with the IMEG team.
Madrona was placed under surveillance for a week prior to Thursday’s operation.
“Based on their complaint, the CIDG troops would come and order for drinks. Sometimes, there are five of them, but they don’t pay,” Baleros said.
If the establishment had violations as Madrona claimed, CIDG-Bacolod could just have filed charges against the owner, added Baleros.
The bar was allegedly showing lewd shows.
During the entrapment, Madrona allegedly received P5,000.
Police said Madrona asked the owner to give the same amount every week for the authorities to ignore the bar’s violations.
A video of Aksyon Radyo Bacolod posted on social media shows Madrona was brought to the NOCPPO headquarters after his arrest and faced the complainant.
Madrona denied that he extorted anything from the bar’s employees.
“Dahil nahuli namin sila nagpapasayaw, pagkatapos se–scenario-hin kami ng kung anu-ano. Ipapakita ang subpoena, sabi ko sagutin niyo ‘yan dahil naka-file ‘yung kaso. Wala kaming hiningi (na) pabor sa inyo,” he said.
In the video, Madrona was seen with bandages on his head due to an injury he sustained when he was allegedly hit on the head during the entrapment.
Now detained at the NOCPPO headquarters, Madrona is facing robbery-extortion charge, which is a violation of Article 294 of the Revised Penal Code. (PNA/PN)
