₱75 Million Heist: Cops Gone Full Bandit

By Louis ‘Barok‘ C. Biraogo — April 6, 2025

IF YOU think the biggest threat to justice comes from criminals, think again. In a raid gone disastrously wrong, 31 police officers from the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) allegedly walked away with ₱75 million in loot—after disabling CCTVs, cracking a vault, and leaving behind a negotiation note like it was just another day on the job. This isn’t a bad apple—it’s rot at the root. Let’s tear into the legal and institutional decay using Philippine jurisprudence and a furious sense of civic duty.

1. Crooked Cops, Criminal Cash: Theft or Robbery?

The officers’ actions scream theft under Article 308 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC): taking personal property without consent, with intent to gain. Scooping ₱75 million in cash, $430,000, 110,000 Malaysian dollars, and a Gucci bag stuffed with bling—necklaces, wristwatches, gold longevity locks—checks every box.

But did it escalate to robbery under Article 294, RPC? If they used force to breach that vault (and the report’s vagueness here begs for deeper probing), the penalty jumps from six months to life imprisonment. Either way, the intent blazes through: disabling CCTVs isn’t the act of bumbling Keystone Cops—it’s a calculated cover-up.

Then there’s Republic Act (RA) 3019, Section 3(e)—the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act’s catch-all for corrupt cops. By abusing their authority to raid a home, arrest the wrong guy, and pocket the loot, these officers caused “undue injury” with “evident bad faith.”

Supreme Court in Lihaylihay v. People (G.R. No. 233561, March 20, 2019): Public officers exploiting their position for personal gain face up to 15 years in jail.
RA 6713’s ethical mandate: Public officials must uphold integrity—yet the “call me to negotiate” stunt reeks of extortion.
RA 9160 (Anti-Money Laundering Act): The foreign currency haul ($430,000 + 110,000 Malaysian dollars) could trigger an AMLC investigation.

2. Procedural Trainwrecks: A Masterclass in How Not to Police

This operation was a procedural dumpster fire from the jump:

Rule 113, Section 5 of the Rules of Court: Arrests must be lawful—officers must identify themselves, state the cause, and serve a valid warrant. Instead, they nabbed the wrong Chinese national under RA 10591 (Firearms Law).
Supreme Court in People v. Mapa (G.R. No. L-22301, August 30, 1967): Shredded sloppy warrant executions—no verification, no legitimacy.
Constitutional Breach (Article III, Section 1, 1987 Constitution): Guarantees speedy disposition—yet the suspect was dragged from EPD to Las Piñas police well past the 36-hour inquest window.
No body cameras? A violation of PNP Operational Manual standards and RA 6713’s accountability mandate.
Supreme Court in Carpio Morales v. CA (G.R. No. 217126-27, November 10, 2015): Public officers dodging oversight invite suspicion.

3. Command Responsibility: The Brass Can’t Duck This One

Maj. Gen. Anthony Aberin’s “investigate the superiors” order must have teeth.
Executive Order No. 226 (1995): Codifies command responsibility—superiors are liable if they knew or should’ve known and failed to act.
EPD director, Brig. Gen. Villamor Tuliao, claiming ignorance is no defense—it’s an indictment.
Supreme Court’s Ombudsman v. Mendoza (G.R. No. 219772, July 17, 2019): Superiors can’t feign blindness to systemic rot.

4. Stop the Bleeding, Fix the System

Immediate Fixes

Prosecute the 31: File theft (or robbery), RA 3019, and AMLA charges pronto. No plea deals—let the courts sort it.
Sack the Slackers: Administrative sanctions under PNP Disciplinary Rules—dismissal for grave misconduct—must hit the eight direct culprits and any complicit superiors.
Freeze the Loot: Seize the ₱75 million, foreign cash, and bling via a court order. If it’s dirty money, AMLC should trace it.

Systemic Overhauls

Mandatory Body Cams: No excuses—equip every officer and enforce use, with penalties for tampering (looking at you, CCTV killers). The PNP’s 2021 body cam rollout flopped; make it stick this time.
Real-Time Ops Tracking: GPS and live reporting to a central command hub. No more “oops, we forgot to tell the boss” nonsense.
Warrant Vetting: Triple-check identities and AORs before raids. A wrong-person arrest isn’t a glitch; it’s a disgrace.

Cultural Reckoning

Ethics Boot Camp: Overhaul: PNP training to kill the “kotong” mindset. RA 6713 isn’t optional—drill it into every recruit.
Whistleblower Shields: Protect rank-and-file who snitch on crooked peers. Silence fueled this heist; break it.

Loony Loot Licks: Cops Caught in Crazytown

The ₱12M “Bribe” Farce: The officers’ claim that the family offered ₱12 million stinks of desperation. The Las Piñas chief’s skepticism—“why the delay if true?”—nails it: this is a Hail Mary to dodge the theft rap. Prove it or shut it.
Vault-Looting Theatrics: Disabling CCTVs and cracking a vault isn’t spontaneous—it’s a heist script. This wasn’t cops serving a warrant; it was robbers flashing badges.
Foreign Cash Twist: That $430,000 and 110,000 Malaysian dollars haul isn’t just greed—it’s a potential AMLA red flag. Were they raiding a money laundering den, or just stumbled into one? Either way, the PNP’s in over its head.

Sizzling Sign-Off: Clean-Up or Cover-Up?

The NCRPO’s “clean-up” of 31 rogue cops is a start, but don’t hold your breath for real change. The PNP’s been staging these mea culpas for decades—photo ops of sacked officers, promises of reform, rinse, repeat. This ₱75 million heist isn’t an anomaly; it’s a symptom of a force where badges too often double as bandit masks.

So here’s the gut punch: Is the PNP’s ‘clean-up’ merely theatrical, or will it finally address the rot within? Until the brass stops dodging and the system gets a spine, don’t bet on it.

Disclaimer: This is legal jazz, not gospel. It’s all about interpretation, not absolutes. So, listen closely, but don’t take it as the final word.