6 CIDG MEN PLACED UNDER RESTRICTIVE CUSTODY OVER MISSING P13M POGO MONEY 

SIX members of the Philippine National Police- Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) have been placed under restrictive custody for allegedly stealing P13 million of the over P141 million evidence money they seized during a raid at a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) compound-turned “scam farm” in Bagac, Bataan on October 20, 2024.

Secretary Juanito Victor C. Remulla of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said that after a careful investigation, the accused policemen assigned with the PNP-CIDG Anti-Organized Crime Unit have been identified to be part of an effort to cover-up an evidence pilferage and violation of the chain of custody.

The accused cops are facing a string of criminal and administrative charges.

A seventh CIDG officer and a lieutenant colonel are also under investigation for grave misconduct, serious dishonesty and violation of evidence-handling protocols.

Remulla was joined by acting PNP chief Lt. Gen.  Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr., PNP-CIDG director Maj. Gen. Robert Alexander A. Morico II and National Police Commission Vice Chairman Rafael M. Calinisan in presenting the result of their investigation.

“We have determined who the culprits are and they will be paying for their misdeeds,” Remulla said 

The missing evidence money was discovered after Morico ordered an inventory of all evidence under the custody of the CIDG-AOCU shortly after its erstwhile chief, Lt. Col. Joey Arandia, was replaced by Lt. Col. Dominick Poblete.

Morico said when a new CIDG Anti-Organized Crime Unit chief assumed office in September, he discovered that the money was no longer in the evidence room and had been taken to Arandia’s residence.

Arandia was designated evidence custodian through a June 2025 order.

A court order issued on Nov. 19 allowed the accounting of the evidence, which led to the discovery of the missing money.

It was found out that of the P141,133,483 evidence money sealed in nine boxes, a total of P13,451,000 were missing

Nartatez said instead of the huge amount of money, a sealed box supposed to be containing the money was found to be loaded with “boodle money” or those being used in buy-bust operations.

Nine boxes were used to store the over P141 million in different denominations recovered during the raid in Bagac, Bataan. Two of the boxes, however, were missing during the final inventory until they were returned by the accused police non-commissioned officers.

When opened, one of the two sealed boxes contained P16 million while the second, supposed to be a sealed box, turned out to be containing only “boodle money.”