THE Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office said it is the usual ploy of suspects and criminal elements to claim that pieces of evidence are planted against them when they are arrested for crimes they committed.
Acting Provincial Police Director Henry Biñas said claims of fabrication and frame up are a common defense that should be substantiated in court.
His statement came following the recent arrest of Joel Ong Quiñones, alias Jake Ong, whose utility box yielded illegal drugs and illegal drug paraphernalia.
Quiñones was initially arrested for violations of traffic laws, among them, driving without license, no side mirror, using an improvised muffler, driving a motorcycle without an official receipt and certificate of registration, sporting a motor plate from another motorcycle, resisting arrest, counter flowing a one way street and four counts of falsification of documents.
A video showing the process by which members of the Provincial Highway Patrol Team searching his motorcycle has gone viral on Facebook, with countless criticisms and allegations over a perceived “planting of evidence” against the suspect.
The video showed two plastic sachets of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride, locally known as shabu, found inside the utility box of the motorcycle.
Biñas said he believes that opening of the utility box of the subject motorcycle was incidental to a lawful arrest and it is up to the courts to determine if it is legal or illegal.
He said there was reason for the Highway Patrol Team (HPT) to open the utility box for suspicion something is inside because the suspect had refused to give the key of the motorcycle to them.
He added it was but proper that they inventory whatever is inside the motorcycle to prevent claims later on that a certain amount of money or other gadgets were inside the utility box and got lost while in the custody of the law enforcers.
The police director said it is better for the case to reach the courts so the accused is given time to prove that it was planted evidence rather than in social media where most of those who issued the negative comments do not know the real score.
Biñas said in every police operation, they can’t expect 100 percent favorable comments.
Even if the subject person is a “criminal,” there will always be negative comments especially from the family of the victim, and from their circle of friends especially on drugs.
Quiñones is expected to be returned to Cotabato City where he is wanted for robbery since 2010, the same year that he migrated to Negros Oriental.
According to Biñas, it is not for the police to conduct a separate investigation on the alleged planting of evidence because the HPT is administratively not under the Philippine National Police. (PNA)
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