The National Police Commission (Napolcom) dismissed 11 police officers of the Regional Drug Enforcement Unit of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) after finding them liable for kidnapping and other grave administrative offenses linked to the disappearance of missing sabungeros (cockfight enthusiasts).
In a decision by the Commission En Banc, the officers were found guilty of two counts of grave misconduct and two counts of conduct unbecoming of a police officer, carrying the penalty of dismissal from the service with accessory sanctions.
The case stemmed from complaints filed on September 3, 2025, by Milagros Estacio and Elizabeth Sotto, who accused the officers of abducting their sons during separate anti-drug operations in 2021.
They also raised possible links to the disappearance of several sabungeros, prompting calls for a deeper investigation.
“May due process tayo dito sa Napolcom. Hindi natin puwedeng paghaluin ang mga kaso. Kailangan nating tingnan nang hiwa-hiwalay, base sa ebidensya,” Napolcom Commissioner Rafael Vicente R. Calinisan said on Friday, May 1.
Citing records, Napolcom said the respondents allegedly abducted Dane Mark M. Carlos on February 17, 2021, in Manila, and Charles Dean Sotto on March 24, 2021, in Las Piñas City.
Investigators found the acts were carried out in conspiracy.
“These acts constitute serious violations under Napolcom Memorandum Circular No. 2016-002,” the Commission said.
The ruling underscored that kidnapping is classified as a grave offense under Article 267 of the Revised Penal Code, involving unlawful deprivation of liberty, which strikes at a fundamental constitutional right.
“Kapag ang pulis mismo ang lumalabag sa batas at umaabuso sa kapangyarihan, mas mabigat ang pananagutan. Hindi natin hahayaan na gamitin ang uniporme para manakot, mang-api, o manlamang sa kapwa,” Calinisan added. (Martin Sadongdong)
