Tuesday, July 31, 2007 Seares: Planting evidence, raising voices By Pachico A. Seares News Sense
FORMER Cebu City IBP president Alex Tolentino in a loud voice at the prosecutor’s office last Friday accused policewoman PO2 Jerybel Lerio of planting evidence.
“Ikaw Lerio dugay na kang namalantiray (og ebidensya) sa CIIB (You Lerio have long been planting evidence at CIIB),” Tolentino said.
Planting evidence is a common trick of overzealous or dirty cops, which they publicly deny but privately brag about. People assume planting evidence is frequently done by the police.
But accusing a specific cop at a public place filled with people is something else. It slanders the cop and her police unit.
“Namalantiray,” a crude hybrid of English and Bisaya verbs only few natives don’t understand, describes the practice of cops sowing evidence they don’t seize from the suspect.
But it’s often a weak defense. Drug suspects and their lawyers are themselves devaluing the “planting” charge by repeatedly using it even without proof.
Normal
As to raising voices, Atty. Alex said, that’s “normal” for lawyers. A loud voice impresses the client: the more thunderous, the bigger the client’s bill?
Maybe, but I know lawyers who argue sharply and lucidly without increasing decibel or pitch and still win their cases.
The antics he pulled in the prosecutor’s office were also normal, Atty. Alex said. Do they include taking away case files without owner’s knowledge or consent?
Atty. Alex said it was normal. Police said it was stealing.
Whatever the finding in lawsuits over the incident, a question stalks lawyers and cops: How far must police go to convict suspects and how far must lawyers go to free a client?
