By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan
MANILA – The Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) filed a formal complaint against two personnel of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) for their involvement in the raid of a Bulacan warehouse containing allegedly smuggled cigarettes.
In a seven-page complaint filed on Aug. 28, PNP-HPG Police Corporal Melvin Habbiling cited the sworn affidavit of alleged middleman Jesus Froilan Acebes Carpiso, who identified BOC Special Agent Lucky Joy “Joy” Solmayor and BOC Technical Support Staff Alexander “Alex” Arroyo Jr. as among those present during the raid in Bulacan.
“Wherefore, premises considered, complainants most respectfully pray that this Honorable Office: Admit the Malayang Sinumpaang-Salaysay/Sworn Statement of Jesus Froilan Acebes Carpiso, together with the other supporting documentary and/or electronic evidence subsequently obtained, and consider the same as integral parts of the records of the instant case,” read the complaint, a copy of which was obtained by the media on Monday.
It further stated that Solmayor, Arroyo, and a certain Jocelyn Miano Bancairen must be included in the preliminary investigation and the determination of probable cause, adding that “appropriate subpoenas” must be issued against them.
In his sworn affidavit, Carpiso stated that Solmayor and Arroyo were present at the Bulacan warehouse when the Regional Highway Patrol Unit-National Capital Region (RHPU-NCR) conducted the raid.
He identified both BOC personnel as the individuals who allegedly received the payment in exchange for 225 boxes of allegedly smuggled Red Carnival cigarettes during the entrapment, or buy-bust operation, on Aug. 19.
Carpiso allegedly served as the middleman who facilitated the sale of the smuggled cigarettes. He accompanied Solmayor to the Bulacan warehouse, where they were met by Arroyo shortly before the RHPU-NCR arrived to conduct the raid.
On Aug. 19, armed civilian-clothed HPG operatives swooped down on the Bulacan warehouse and frisked uniformed customs personnel during a legitimate cigarette incineration operation. The standoff was eventually defused following the intervention of BOC officials.
It was later discovered that the raid stemmed from operational confusion, as the HPG operatives were actually targeting a different location within the area. (PNA)
