The Bulacan PNP Press Corps has urged PNP chief Gen. Camilo Pancratius Cascolan to order an investigation into the “Gestapo-like” raid conducted by a 20-man ununiformed but heavily armed policemen from the Bulacan PNP Office at the residence of NPC lifetime member Orlan Mauricio in Malolos City early evening on Wednesday (September 23).
The apparently dubious raid was based on a search warrant issued by a Bulacan Municipal Trial Court obtained by the Bulacan PNP Office purportedly for illegal possession of firearms against his son who had long been living in another place.
Mauricio said at about 5pm on Wednesday, more than 20 raiders claiming to be members of the Bulacan PNP, with two policewomen who allegedly acted as videographers, none of them wearing police uniform, all heavily armed and bearing bulletproof vest and bandanas, forcibly entered his home without identifying themselves and their mission.
“There were more than 20 raiders, 2 policewomen raw na taga-video at walang naka-uniform kahit isa. Lahat naka-bandana at bulletproof vest. Gestapo-like raid ang ginawa hindi serving of SW,” the veteran police reporter said.
“After two hours kaming herded and incommunicado, seized our phones, with guns pointed at me and my wife, saka lang pinakita at nilabas ang SW after searching all over our house for almost two hours. Kundi pa dumating ang barangay na pinatawag ng ilang mga kapitbahay, di nila ipapakita yung dala nilang SW,” he added.
Romie Evangelista, member of the Bulacan PNP Press Corps, urged PNP chief Cascolan to conduct an in-depth probe against the members of the still unknown and ununiformed police raiding team at Mauricio’s home and order Bulacan PNP acting provincial director Col. Lawrence Cajipe to make public the after-activity report of his men about the raid.
“Mukhang pilipit yung ginawang raid sa bahay ni Orlan. Una, walang nagpakilala kung sino mga kasapi ng raiding team. Pangalawa, wala ni isa mang naka-uniform sa kanila at lahat ay naka-bulletproof vest at bandana lang. Pangatlo, meron namang Bulacan RTC na pwedeng kunan nila ng search warrant. Pero sa Bulacan Metropolitan Trial Court sila kumuna ng SW. Baka gawa-gawa lang nila ang SW na dala nila,” Evangelista said.
The National Press Club, thru its President Paul Guttierez, earlier denounced the raid conducted at Mauricio’s home, hinting that it was a police raid orchestrated by certain ranking provincial officials whom he got entangled with because of his news reports.
“What is more denunciable in this incident is that even while the questionable search is on-going, messages claiming the raid is about illegal drugs is already circulating in the province and coming from no less from a high ranking provincial official,’ the NPC said in a statement.
The NPC expresses relief that as of this posting, no harm, other than stress and intimidation, have come to Mauricio and his family, based on his phone conversation with the NPC. The Police, he said has left their house without even giving the name of the official that led the raiding team.
“The NPC, in the strongest possible term, denounces the complicity, wittingly or unwittingly, of the Bulacan PNP under Col. Lawrence Cajipe, and the local municipal court, over their participation in the flagrant violation of the civil rights of Mauricio for political ends,” the NPC added.
