MANILA, Philippines – Journalists covering the Philippine National Police were up in arms after one of their colleagues was held by policemen manning the Santolan gate of Camp Crame, Quezon City on Tuesday.

Silvestre Labay, a reporter of radio dzXL-RMN, was refused entry by a member of the “base police” as he was about to enter the PNP headquarters on board the company’s service vehicle around 8:30 a.m.
Labay said he was surprised when a certain Police Officer 1 Caraig asked for his press identification card and the license of his driver.

Aside from asking for their IDs, the radio reporter said the policeman also told him that he should seek first the “clearance” of Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina, PNP spokesman.

“I was really shocked because we were aboard a media vehicle yet the policeman still prevented us from entering the camp,” said Labay, who has been covering the PNP and Defense beats for over a year now.

“The policeman claimed he was just obeying a new directive issued by the camp commander regarding the entry of journalists to Camp Crame,” he continued.

Labay said he was only allowed to proceed 30 minutes later when dzMM radio reporter and PNP Press Corps president Noel Alamar intervened.

Alamar said the press club did not receive any communication about the supposed new order for journalists covering the PNP.

“This is not actually the first time that a member of the PNP press corps was inappropriately treated by the base of police of Camp Crame. I just hope this is the last one,” Alamar told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.