EDITORIAL — Too friendly

After her arrest, dismissed Bamban, Tarlac, mayor Alice Guo was photographed with Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos and PNP chief Rommel Marbil sitting on a couch.

But with the way Guo was posing, flashing peace signs on both sides of the wide grin on her face, plus with the smiling gentlemen flanking her, you would think she wasn’t a fugitive being presented to the public at all but a celebrity greeting her fans.

We aren’t sure what led to this scenario --perhaps Guo was just putting up a brave front aside from claiming she finally felt safe, and the two officials were just being gentlemen or perhaps even smiling at finally catching a high-profile fugitive-- but it has not been taken well by many people.

And for good reason too. Government and police officials cannot be seen fraternizing with or being too friendly in any way toward wanted people. We aren’t saying they should be scowling and looking threatening. At the very least they should look professional and not do anything that can be misconstrued by the public.

When fugitives are presented to the public they are usually cowering in shame, hiding their faces, and looking to limit their exposure to the cameras. This was not the case with Guo.

Not that we want to see her shamed and cowering, we just find it strange she would take it so lightly, that she would smile and treat her arrest it like was nothing at all.

But then again, perhaps this is a calculated move on her part. Not just a show of bravado, but a move to show she is confident of being proven innocent of whatever charges are brought against her.

Senator Risa Hontiveros said it right when she said Guo is a criminal and shouldn’t be treated like a celebrity. And while Abalos and Marbil couldn’t always control how Guo acted, they shouldn’t have made the awkward situation even worse by looking so --for lack of a better word-- accommodating.

Of course, the two gentlemen have aired their side on the issue and they shouldn’t get any more flak than they already are.

With this, we shouldn’t expect cordial, friendly, and open-to-misinterpretation photos of fugitive pastor Apollo Quiboloy once he is arrested too.