CPPO chief on Arquillano raid: Police operation not politically motivated

Senior Superintendent Manuel Abrugena | CDN Digital file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The police operation is clean and not politically motivated.

Police Colonel Manuel Abrugena gave this assurance after the retired Judge Meinrado Paredes, lawyer of San Francisco Mayor Aly Arquillano and his brother, Vice Mayor Al Aquillano, earlier said that they would ask the court to quash the search warrant used by the Provincial Intelligence Branch  (PIB) during the operation against his clients due to territorial jurisdiction.

Paredes said in a press briefing on Sunday, April 7, that the search warrant was issued by the Barili Regional Trial Court.

Abrugena said that they would answer this in the proper forum.

Read more: Retired Judge Paredes to ask court to quash search warrant vs Arquillano brothers

He said that there are also exemptions to the issuance of search warrants.

“May mga exemptions on why we are applying search warrants in other judges and we are going to point out din po nyan sa proper forum,” said Abrugena in a phone interview with CDN Digital.

(There are exemptions on why we are applying search warrants in other judges, and we are going to point that out in the proper forum.)

“Established information from the community are always observed before actual operations are conducted,”  said Abrugena.

Abrugena also assured that the rights of the accused, Arquillano brothers, were properly observed by the operatives.

He also disputed the allegation from the camp of the Arquillano brothers that the grenades found in their ancestral home were planted.

He said that this was a usual defense from people who were accused of a crime.

Read more: Arquillano brothers detained in Danao City Jail

Last Monday, April 8, the Arquillano brothers, the top two officials of San Francisco town in Camotes Island in northern Cebu were detained at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP)-run Danao City Jail.

This developed after the court granted the brothers’ petition for confinement at the Danao City Jail after a hearing on April 8.

Aside from that, charges of illegal possession of firearms and illegal possession of explosives were filed against the Arquillanos before the Regional Trial Court in Danao City also on April 8, Monday.

The brothers’ lawyer, retired Judge Paredes, also filed a motion for bail at the Danao RTC but the police had yet to submit a reply to the court before the hearing for the brothers’ temporary liberty would be set./dbs