5 cops relieved for serving arrest warrant inside Malacañang

Metro police chief Director Reynaldo Varilla recommended yesterday the relief of five Manila policemen who served the arrest warrant to a Malacañang reporter inside the Palace grounds last Nov. 13.

Varilla admitted the incident has not only put the Manila Police District (MPD) in a bad light but the entire Philippine National Police (PNP) as well.

"This incident placed the PNP organization in a bad light particularly the MPD, and therefore necessitates immediate preemptive action, which is the relief of those directly involved pending exhaustive investigation on the issue," said Varilla in his two-page report to PNP chief Director General Oscar Calderon.

The five policemen identified as Senior Inspector Arsenio Riparip, SPO2 Rodrigo Boncan, SPO1 Alfredo Tan Jr., PO3 Rewel Ramos and PO3 Jessie Manalang, all of the MPD warrant section, were ordered to report to the Regional Headquarters Service Group (RHSG) in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.

But Varilla emphasized that the sanction does not mean that they are guilty as charged.

Senior Superintendent Felipe Rojas Jr., head of the Regional Investigation and Detective Management (RIDM), explained that the relief of the five policemen is standard operating procedure of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) in dealing with its personnel being investigated for wrongdoing.

"The five policemen were assigned to the RHSG to make themselves available on short notice once they are needed in our investigation," said Rojas.

He disclosed that they are still in the process of gathering additional evidence against the five policemen, who had already submitted their counter-affidavits last Nov. 20.

The NCRPO is also trying to determine whether Superintendent Danilo Abarzosa, MPD officer-in-charge, could be included in the charge for command responsibility.

Initial investigation showed that the five policemen tried to serve a warrant of arrest against Malacañang reporter Ma. Romina "Mia" Gonzales inside the Palace grounds for a libel case filed by First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo.

The five policemen claimed they were only out to inform Gonzalez, a.k.a Concepcion Paez, that a warrant of arrest was issued against her by a Manila judge.

But their claim contradicted the entry entered on the guest book at Malacañang’s Arias gate, which stated that they are to serve the arrest warrant to Gonzales.

Varilla noted that the warrant of arrest was issued last June 5 but was served only on Nov. 13 "thereby creating a cloud of doubt with regards and reason behind its execution."

Varilla cited Section 4, Rule 113 of the Rules of Criminal Procedures, which provides that "the head of the office that the warrant of arrest was delivered for execution shall cause the warrant to be executed within 10 days from its receipt."

Varilla admitted, however, that the operation seemed to be in accordance with the PNP operational procedures and the memorandum of agreement between the PNP and the National Press Club.