EDITORIAL - A little propriety could have helped

Almost everybody is ganging up on police Chief Inspector Andres Bayarcal for arresting lawyer Danilo Pilapil inside the Cebu City Police Traffic Group offices. The arrest may have been uncalled for, even illegal. But perhaps Pilapil was also asking forit.

Here are the facts of the case as reported in media: Pilapil went to the police toseek the release of his client, who had surrendered in connection with a fatal traffic accident and was dutifully taken into custody.

Pilapil had his demand for release of his client in a formal letter, whichBayarcal, as head of the traffic group, refused to accept. For whatever reason, he wanted to keep custody of the suspect, prompting Pilapil to call him ignorant. Bayarcal promptlyarrested Pilapil.

Again, not being a lawyer, Bayarcal may have missed a few legal complexitiespertaining to the issue, resulting in his having no hesitation to arrest Pilapil. And maybe he forgot that oft-issued admonition about maximum tolerance. But there is no revising lessons learned from human experience: You do not insult the master of the house right in his own home. The police may be a public serviceinstitution and Pilapil may be a taxpayer demanding such service from the police.

Still, human experience tells us Pilapil was still a guest in the house of thepolice. In fact he probably was an arrogant guest. If Bayarcal went overboard, maybe it was because Pilapil went overboard first and sufficiently provoked the police officer.

If Bayarcal erred, it was Pilapil who drove him to error and he should just havetaken the consequences of his actions like a man, instead of parading himself before themedia with his bruised wrists. We cannot condone the actions of Bayarcal. But we believe Pilapil cannot go scot-free either because part of the blame is clearly his. Law-abiding citizens cannot act

rashly at a police checkpoint just because they committed no crime. Act rashly and you get it. Just because Pilapil is a law-abiding and taxpaying lawyer who was just doing his job on behalf of a client does not justify him calling the police ignorant right in theoffice of the police. How would Pilapil feel if Bayarcal knocks on his door and calls him ignorant?