Palace lifts curfew; Trillanes, colleagues brought to Crame

(Updated 9:31 a.m.) Malacañang on Friday morning announced that it will not extend its five-hour curfew on Metro Manila and two Luzon areas, an order it imposed in the aftermath of the standoff between members of the Magdalo Group and government forces at a posh Makati City hotel. Interviewed on dzBB radio, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said pronouncements of Director Gen. Avelino Razon Jr, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), mirrors the Palace's stand on the curfew policy. Asked if the lifting of the curfew can be announced, Bunye said that, "Totoo po iyan, puwede ninyong sabihan ang ating mga kababayan na hindi po magkakaroon ng curfew mamayang gabi (That's true, you can tell our countrymen that we will not have a curfew tonight)." Razon had said the PNP will recommend the lifting of the curfew between 12 midnight until 5 a.m. in Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Calabarzon (Calamba-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon). He said the PNP was not inclined to extend the curfew – imposed Thursday – for another day. Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno, concurrent presidential political adviser, had said Thursday night that the curfew may be extended if the need arises. "Yung sinabi po ni General Razon, yun na rin po ang magpapatupad ng 'no curfew' policy (What General Razon said, that will be our means of implementing the 'no curfew' policy)," Bunye said, adding that the Palace need not issue an order on the matter. Bunye said that, "Suma tutal, nagpapasalamat tayo na di nagkaroon ng anumang insidente [of lawlessness] after the Manila Peninsula incident (In sum, we are grateful that there wasn't any incident [of lawlessness] after the Manila Peninsula incident)." For his part, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the government's response to situations like Thursday's incident was "calibrated" and "not overreacting." However, Ermita hinted surveillance of bailiwicks of the opposition will continue. "Identified lahat yan. Automatic meron tayong tao sa lugar na yan. Kung may pangyayaring ito nare-report at naagapan (We identified them all. We automatically send people to such areas in such situations)," he said. The police conducted surveillance on bailiwicks of former President Joseph Estrada during Thursday's standoff. Also on Friday morning, former Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim were brought to the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame early Friday. Radio dzBB reported that a 30-vehicle convoy that included an armored personnel carrier, two buses and mobile PNP vehicles arrived at police camp shortly after 6 a.m. The vehicles in the convoy, which came from Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City, were also made up of mobile units of the Metro Manila police Regional Special Action Unit (RSAU). Following their arrival at Camp Crame, Trillanes and the others arrested over the Makati standoff were "processed." Mug shots of them were taken. Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, who ordered a prosecution team to file sedition and rebellion charges against those in the standoff, said the "suspects" were to be kept in custody for inquest purposes. "There is no court today (a holiday). We have to keep them in custody for inquest purposes," Gonzalez said on dzEC radio on Friday morning. He recalled telling Puno that they will likely turn over Trillanes and Lim to the Makati court on Monday. It was Judge Oscar Pimentel of the Makati regional trial court-Branch 148 that ordered their arrest for contempt, after they walked out of a hearing and marched to the Peninsula hotel. The dzBB report said security was tight at Camp Bagong Diwa, with a V-150 armored vehicle manned by police Special Action Force (SAF) personnel stationed there. Fully armed Special Action Force (SAF), Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and Special Reaction Unit (SRU) personnel were on hand at Camp Crame to keep watch over Trillanes and the other arrested people. Security was also tightened as inspectors checked identification cards of motorists, motorcycle riders, passersby and media practitioners during a curfew from midnight Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday. Guingona, wearing the black jacket he wore at Thursday's incident, was the first to alight from the bus and escorted to the PNP Custodial Center under heavy guard. Senior Superintendent Asher Dolina, head of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) for Metro Manila, escorted Guingona inside as heavily armed police personnel lined the path to the custodial center. News teams were kept at a distance to prevent them from getting statements from the people arrested from the Peninsula Manila hotel standoff. Lim, wearing the military uniform he wore at Thursday's incident, was the second to alight from the bus. Lawyer Argee Guevarra and Bibeth Orteza also alighted from the bus and were detained as well. Other personalities arrested included former University of the Philippines president Francisco Nemenzo, "running" priest Robert Reyes, and columnist Herman Tiu Laurel. Trillanes and Lim, along with other personalities, were placed in the camp's maximum security facility. Trillanes is considered to be under the custody of the military and is expected to be turned over to the Armed Forces of the Philippines following his "investigation" at the PNP. For its part, the PNP-CIDG said it is still gathering evidence against Trillanes and company. Radio dzBB reported that Dolina said CIDG and scene-of-the-crime operations (SOCO) personnel are still at The Peninsula Manila hotel gathering evidence. - GMANews.TV