Failon incident shows police need re-training, lawmaker says
04/21/2009 | 01:59 PM
MANILA, Philippines - The Quezon City police's handling of the shooting death of broadcaster Ted Failon’s wife only shows that members of the Philippine National Police need to undergo re-training on law enforcement procedures, a lawmaker said Tuesday.
In a statement, House deputy majority leader and Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara said the police's handling of the incident made it apparent that the investigators "did not know what they were doing from the start."
Angara, a lawyer, questioned why the police only arrested members of Failon's household help for obstruction of justice a day after it was revealed that they cleaned up the bathroom where Trinidad Arteche-Etong was found bloodied.
"They effected the arrest belatedly without any warrant of arrest and this shows that the police really have no idea what they were doing. If [the police] made the arrest shortly after their (Failon’s maids’) admission that they sanitized the crime scene, the need for a warrant of arrest would not have been required," said the lawmaker.
"What's worse is the behavior of arresting officers when they finally decided to make the arrest. Now they are in trouble for human rights violations," he added.
The "police bloopers" that occurred only shows that the PNP needs to be refreshed on the proper procedure for arrests and search and seizure operations, said Angara.
The Quezon City police's arrest of Failon's household help and siblings-in-law last Thursday elicited criticisms that prompted Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno to order that the incident's investigation be headed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Puno also announced on Tuesday that concerned QCPD officials and personnel, including Superintendent Franklin Moises Mabanag, Superintendent Gerardo Ratuita, Senior Inspector Roberto Razon, three of their subordinates at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, have been placed under preventive suspension for 30 days. Johanna Camille Sisante, GMANews.TV<
In a statement, House deputy majority leader and Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara said the police's handling of the incident made it apparent that the investigators "did not know what they were doing from the start."
Angara, a lawyer, questioned why the police only arrested members of Failon's household help for obstruction of justice a day after it was revealed that they cleaned up the bathroom where Trinidad Arteche-Etong was found bloodied.
"They effected the arrest belatedly without any warrant of arrest and this shows that the police really have no idea what they were doing. If [the police] made the arrest shortly after their (Failon’s maids’) admission that they sanitized the crime scene, the need for a warrant of arrest would not have been required," said the lawmaker.
"What's worse is the behavior of arresting officers when they finally decided to make the arrest. Now they are in trouble for human rights violations," he added.
The "police bloopers" that occurred only shows that the PNP needs to be refreshed on the proper procedure for arrests and search and seizure operations, said Angara.
The Quezon City police's arrest of Failon's household help and siblings-in-law last Thursday elicited criticisms that prompted Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno to order that the incident's investigation be headed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Puno also announced on Tuesday that concerned QCPD officials and personnel, including Superintendent Franklin Moises Mabanag, Superintendent Gerardo Ratuita, Senior Inspector Roberto Razon, three of their subordinates at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, have been placed under preventive suspension for 30 days. Johanna Camille Sisante, GMANews.TV<
