MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Police (PNP) disputed the claims of the Duterte family that authorities were allegedly hostile and unruly during former president Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest earlier this week.
Speaking during a Malacañang briefing, PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief Police Major General Nicolas Torre III said it was actually the former president and his family who were harsh during the arrest on Tuesday, March 11.
“Honeylet [Avanceña] pushed me, she shoved me and she shoved me hard when we met at the hallway. There’s also a video where the daughter cursed at me, and [former] president Rodrigo Duterte reminding me that once I retire or even before I retire, his children and relatives will go after me,” Torre, who led the arrest, said during the palace briefing on Thursday, March 13.
Central Luzon police chief and PNP spokesperson Police Brigadier General Jean Fajardo said she and all the arresting cops were also subjected to harsh words, but they observed maximum tolerance. At one point, Avanceña also hit a female cop with her cellular phone, causing a lump on the cop’s head.
Fajardo said the female cop is set to file a direct assault complaint against Duterte’s partner. (READ: Honeylet ni Digong hinambalos ng cellphone ang babaeng pulis)
Interior chief Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla told Rappler in a sit-down interview that there was a commotion between Torre and former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea when the authorities ordered Duterte to board the airplane heading to the Netherlands. Speaking at the Palace briefing, Torre said that during the process, Medialdea dared that he be arrested, so the former cabinet official was arrested.
“I read him his rights and handcuffed him. So when I brought him away in handcuffs, the former president might have seen that I was really serious, that I would not back down, and we do believe that the majesty of the law has to remain supreme, that law should be followed,” the CIDG chief said.
On the arrest, warrant
Duterte was nabbed through an ICC warrant issued by a set of all-women judges over crimes against humanity. The ICC coursed the warrant through the Interpol, because even though the Philippines was not an ICC member-state, the country is obliged to cooperate with the Interpol.
The former president was flown to the ICC headquarters in The Hague, the Netherlands, where he will face his charge.
Department of Justice (DOJ) Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty disputed the claim of alleged absence of warrant during the arrest. During the morning of Duterte’s arrest, one of his former cabinet members, lawyer Silvestre Bello III, said there was no warrant when the authorities held Duterte under custody.
“Attorney Bello was not there during the warrant’s implementation,” Ty said. “When the Duterte camp asked for a copy of the warrant of arrest and we were able to present them and shared an electronic copy on them.”
The DOJ official said at least three lawyers were also present when Duterte was arrested: Medialdea and wife, and Duterte’s former Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board chairperson Martin Delgra. Torre, meanwhile, added that Duterte was comfortable inside Villamor Air Base and had been given special treatment.
“Well, Duterte stayed in the 250th Presidential Airlift Wing, the Philippine presidents’ lounge, and sat on the president’s seat. We allowed the former president and his companions, and they were there in the most comfortable lounge arguably in all of the airports nationwide,” the CIDG chief said. – Rappler.com
*Quotes were translated into English for brevity