PNP gathers journalists at camp’s basketball court

Processing of journalists arrested after the Makati standoff started Thursday night, GMA News’s Sandra Aguinaldo told radio DZBB. Aguinaldo is among 50 reporters, TV crewmen and photographers seized by police for verification. PNP Director General Avelino Razon said that they were prompted to arrest everyone from reporters and photojournalists to soldiers inside the hotel after receiving reports that military men involved in the take over have disguised themselves as reporters. Razon added that some soldiers have displayed media identification cards in order to escape arrest. On why police confiscated the reporters's tapes and equipment, Razon said, "Tinitignan lang po yung mga equipment na nandun, isasauli din lahat yun (We will examine them and return them as soon as we are finished.)" President Gloria Arroyo has ordered Razon to speed up the custodial investigation of media members taken to Camp Bagong Diwa shortly after the arrest Thursday night of Magdalo forces led Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim. Mrs Arroyo made the announcement over a news broadcast aired over NBN, the government television station. She told Razon that once investigators have verified the credentials of the media members they should be immediately released. The media members were among those trapped inside the Peninsula Manila, which the Trillanes group took over after they walked out of their hearing at the Makati Regional Trial Court on charges connected with the 2003 Oakwood mutiny. In an earlier interview with Mike Enriquez of GMA's 24 Oras, Razon assured media organizations that the members taken to Camp Bagong Diwa would only undergo verification as police got reports that some Magdalo troops had been trying to pass themselves off as media men to evade arrest. - GMANews.TV