PNP to look into arrests of journalists, workers at NutriAsia picket

Amid allegations of police officers harassing and placing sachets of shabu on individuals who were arrested at the picket lines of NutriAsia, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director General Oscar Albayalde has vowed to look into the incidents.

“Ipapa-verify din natin ‘yan.  I think marami ang may release order dyan, I talked with the provincial director there to look into that incident, kung totoo ‘yan or hindi,” Albayalde said in an interview with reporters on Wednesday.

“As of this time vine-verify pa nila ‘yong mga nahuli nila if they have cases in other courts, kung wala naman, mare-release itong araw na ‘to itong mga na-detain,” he added.

On Tuesday, guns and illegal drugs were allegedly recovered from protestors and journalists working for alternative news sites who were covering the labor issue with the food company giant and its contractual workers.  Nineteen persons were detained by operatives of Meycauayan City Police Station.

Albayalde said that he has yet to receive information on the definite cause of the arrests.

“Probably nasama sila don sa panggugulo, dahil nagkagulo ‘don ‘di ba, or baka may nasaktan sila,” he suggested.

The PNP chief said that the provincial director of Bulacan police said that no anti-riot policemen were injured in the violent dispersal.

“Although no’ng tinanong naman natin provincial director kung meron silang (arrested individuals) sinaktan na pulis, ang sabi naman niya sa atin na wala.  Tinitignan natin kung bakit (nangyari),” he said.

However, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello said in a recent statement that it was not the NutriAsia workers who started the commotion, but the members of the group Kadamay, who were also protesting. /je