North Cotabato PNP junks calls for release of 2 suspected extortionists

KIDAPAWAN CITY – Police in North Cotabato refused to free from detention two suspected extortionists they arrested recently in an entrapment operations inside a bank for alleged extortion. Senior Superintendent Alex Tagum, provincial director of the Cotabato Police Provincial Office (CPPO), ordered his men to impose strict security measures outside and inside Kidapawan City police station to ensure that Police Officer 1 Howell Dequita and a certain Omar Soledad could not be ‘rescued’ by any armed and lawless group. Dequita and Soledad were arrested in Poblacion, Midsayap for allegedly extorting considerable cash from two traders doing business in North Cotabato.The entrapment was inside a state-owned bank in Poblacion, Midsayap. Tagum considered Soledad as a ‘high-risk criminal’ due to his alleged involvement in criminal activities, among them extortion. Authorities have yet to dig deeper the possible involvement of Dequita in Soledad’s activities. We were just told Soledad and Dequita are relatives.As to how deep Dequita’s involvement in extortion and other criminal activities, we have yet to know.Still, we have to file charges against him because he was arrested with Soledad,” said Tagum. He ordered the transfer of suspects from their detention in Midsayap town to Kidapawan City. On Thursday, relatives of the suspects, with their lawyer, trooped to the city police station here where they told officers securing Soledad and Dequita to release them for lack of charges filed at the prosecutor’s office. They said the suspects had been detained more than 36 hours. But Tagum explained the suspects could not be released from prison since charges of grave coercion under Revised Penal Code and illegal possession of explosive and ammunition under Republic Act 10591 were already filed at a regional trial court in Midsayap. There was no court order to release the suspects from our detention so they will stay here,” said Tagum. He stressed that of the two cases, only grave coercion is bailable. So, even if they had the extortion settled with the complainants, they still have to face another case, that is, illegal possession of explosive, which is non-bailable.With that, they cannot be released immediately from prison,” he said.