CRIMINAL Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Director Major General Joel Coronel vouched on the legality of the police operations that resulted in the arrest of several activist group members last week.
He said warrants have been applied against the arrested personalities based on credible and reliable information provided by informants to the courts who examined these witnesses under oath.
"Again, as I have explained earlier, the operations conducted by the PNP (Philippine National Police) led by the CIDG are all covered by search warrants validly issued by the RTC Branch 89 of Quezon City," he said in a press conference.
On December 10, 2020, during the observance of the International Human Rights day, the CIDG National Capital Region conducted simultaneous operations for the service of search warrants that resulted in the arrest of Mark Ryan Cruz, Romina Raisell Astudillo, Jaymie Gregorio, Denisse Velasco and Joel Demate who were leaders of militant group Defend Jobs PH, and Rodrigo Esparago and Lady Anne Salem, a journalist and editor of the Manila today news publication.
The affiliations of the said people were earlier red-tagged by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac).
Cruz, Astudillo, and Gregorio were arrested in a condominium in Quezon City where police seized three hand grenades, several rounds of s
ammunition of different caliber of handguns, including those of caliber .45 and 9mm pistols, assorted cellular phones, and P1.276-million cash.
Velasco, on the other hand, was arrested in Greater Lagro, Quezon City. Recovered by police were a fragmentation grenade and various calibers of handguns and assorted ammunition, cellular phones, and suspected subversive documents.
Demate, who was arrested in his residence in Sta Ana. Manila, also yielded high-powered short and long firearms, a hand grenade, and assorted ammunition, while Esparago and Salem, who were arrested in a condominium unit in Mandaluyong City, yielded several handguns, four grenades and assorted ammunition.
All search warrants were issued by Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 89 Executive Judge Cecilyn Burgos-Villavert and the police operations were witnessed by barangay officials, Coronel stressed.
Cases for violations of Republic Act (RA) 10591 (Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Law) and RA 9516 (Illegal Possession of Explosives) are being readied for filing against the suspects.
Coronel said they are open to any investigation that will question the legitimacy of their operations.
"But so far, based also on the information provided by our operating units and even members of media who were present at that time, there are no reports indicating that such violations had been committed. Again, the operation was compliant with police operational procedures," Coronel said.
He also assured that the CIDG has observed due process during its operations, including informing the arrested persons of their constitutional rights. (SunStar Philippines)