Trader who beat up enforcer in NCRPO custody

MANILA, Philippines — Businessman Arnold Padilla, who was caught on video beating up a Makati traffic enforcer, is now under the custody of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), an official said yesterday.

NCRPO chief Director Guillermo Eleazar said Padilla is staying at the investigation room of the Regional Special Operations Unit (RSOU), where his blood pressure is closely monitored.

Padilla was discharged from the Philippine National Police General Hospital (PNPGH) at Camp Crame at about 12:15 a.m. yesterday after his blood pressure was measured at 150/90.

“Padilla is presently under our custody. Once his blood pressure stabilizes further, we would place him in a jail occupied by other prisoners,” Eleazar said in an interview.

Padilla was discharged from St. Luke’s Medical Center, where he was rushed after he and his bodyguard Alfie Ortiz two Fridays ago for illegal possession of firearms, ammunition and explosives.

Padilla waived the preliminary investigation of the charges filed against him but as of yesterday, the prosecutor’s office in Makati City had not yet ruled on the case, enabling the NCRPO to have custody of Padilla.

Padilla, his partner and bodyguards hit the headlines earlier this month after they were caught on closed-circuit television footage abusing the traffic enforcers who pulled them over for beating the red light in front of the gates of Magallanes Village along EDSA.