Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 15) — The Philippine National Police (PNP) said three former officers implicated in the kidnapping of a missing e-sabong master agent have entered a plea of not guilty after their surrender last month.
“Doon sa isang kaso natin kung saan ang suspect dito ay mga pulis na sumuko nitong mga nakaraang linggo sa ating kapulisan, sila naman ay na arraign na at nag enter sila ng not guilty plea,” PNP Public Information Office chief PLtCol Redrico Maranan said on Wednesday.
[Translation: In one of our cases where the suspects are policemen who surrendered some weeks ago, they have been arraigned and they entered a not guilty plea.]
PNP Chief General Rodolfo Azurin Jr. confirmed the surrender in January. Two surrendered on Jan. 19, while the third turned himself in on Jan. 21.
The three suspects, along with two others, were dismissed from the service in December 2022 after the Internal Affairs Service found substantial evidence in the administrative charges filed against them over e-sabong agent Ricardo Lasco’s disappearance.
Lasco’s disappearance was one of eight cases being handled by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Special Investigation Task Group \”Sabungero,\” which conducted a further probe after the dismissal of the complaint for kidnapping filed by the victim’s family before the San Pablo City, Laguna prosecutor’s office.
Lasco is still considered by authorities as \”missing.\”
The CIDG is also probing cases involving the disappearance since 2020 of dozens of other e-sabong enthusiasts.
