TWO Police Non-Commissioned Officers (PNCOs) assigned at the Regional Special Training Unit (RSTU)-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BAR) were slapped with charges for allegedly extorting their trainees.Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) chief Brigadier General Warren de Leon said on Monday, September 12, 2022, that charges for violations of simple robbery (extortion) of the Revised Penal Code, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standard were filed against Senior Staff Sergeant Mark Anthony Palma and Patrolman John Gerald Tucas.De Leon said the filing of charges last September 5 stemmed from a report that the two policemen asked for P60,000 from their Basic Internal Security Operations Course (Bisoc) trainees in exchange for a more lenient treatment accorded to their class.The Bisoc Battalion Commander and the Class Treasurer eventually gave in to the demands of their trainers and the amount was withdrawn from the Class Fund and was later given separately to Palma and Tucas.Each of them received P30,000 on August 27 inside Palma’s car parked at a mall in Cotabato City.Administrative complaint for grave misconduct and two counts of conduct unbecoming of a police officer were referred to the Regional Internal Affairs Service Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (RIAS-BAR) for pre-charge investigation.“With the implementation of Oplan Bansay or Bantay sa Pagsasanay, our Training Internal Cleansing program, we were able to gather information on the alleged extortion activity perpetrated by these two active PNCOs who were supposed to be the role models of the trainees being their trainers and mentors while undergoing the Basic Internal Security Operations Course,” De Leon said in a statement.“I commend the efforts of our personnel from the Mindanao Field Unit for this notable accomplishment as part of our attempt to convey our ‘Malasakit’ to our brothers in uniform in line with CPNP’s policy framework M+K+K=K. This is a manifestation and a warning to all PNP personnel that scalawags do not have a place in the organization, more so in training institutions which is the breeding ground for the future leaders of the country,” he added. (SunStar Philippines)