Rodrigo Duterte arrest: Cops just gave security to implementers of order

PNP: Cops just extended assistance after a Philippine Center for Transnational Crime request

Ninoy Aquino International Airport. (File photo)

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday said its personnel merely “provided security” to the implementers of the arrest warrant issued against former president Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday morning.

PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo said the PNP just extended police assistance following a request from the Philippine Center for Transnational Crime (PCTC).

Fajardo said PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil had directed Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Dir. Brig. Nicolas Torre III to take the lead in providing security assistance to the implementers of the arrest order against Duterte.

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“Ang PNP po ay limited lamang po sa pagpu-provide po ng security doon po sa mga mag-i-implement po noong warrant through the Interpol mechanism po,” she said in a panel discussion with Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro.

(The PNP’s role is only limited to providing security to those who will implement the warrant through the Interpol mechanism)

“In fact, it was the PCTC executive director po ang nag-inform po sa atin pong dating Pangulo at nandoon po ‘yung mga prosecutor po ng DOJ (Department of Justice) at ang (In fact, it was the PCTC executive director who informed our former President and the DOJ prosecutors were there and the) PNP in the person of General Torre was there to provide security po,” Fajardo added.

Torre said everyone was “calm” when the arrest warrant was served upon Duterte’s arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City on Tuesday morning.

Despite the tensions in serving the warrant of arrest against Duterte, Fajardo said the PNP personnel remained “professional” in fulfilling their mandate.

“I myself was also subjected to harsh words, kaya lang sabi nga ni General Torre ay (but General Torre told us to observe) maximum tolerance,” Fajardo said.

“Alam ng ating mga kapulisan, alam nila na andoon tayo para magpapatupad tayo—magpatupad ng ating mandato at iyon ang ginawa natin, sabi nga natin, mission accomplished kaya mataas ang moral ng pulis natin,” she added.

(Our police officers know that we were there to enforce our mandate and that’s what we did, we say, mission accomplished, that is why our police morale is high.) (PNA)