Interior Secretary Eduardo Año defended the arrest of three lawyers in a police anti-drug operation at a bar in Makati City last week, saying that no one is above the law and lawyers can be arrested if they obstruct a legal police operation.
Año, in a statement on Wednesday, said the members of the Makati police who made the arrest were just doing their jobs when they seized the lawyers who interfered in their search for drugs inside the Time Bar in Makati.
“Hindi porket abogado, hindi na puwedeng hulihin lalo na kung mali ang ginagawa at nakakasagabal sa ligal na operasyon ng kapulisan. Matuto po sana tayong rumespeto sa mga pulis na tumutupad lang sa kanilang tungkulin na sugpuin ang iligal na droga,” Año said.
(It doesn’t mean that they’re lawyers they can’t be arrested, especially if they got in the way of a legal police operation. We should learn to respect police officers who are just doing their jobs in the anti-drugs campaign.)
Instead of criticizing the police officers, the Interior secretary said that the cops should be recognized for the success of the anti-narcotics operation.
“Imbis na punahin sila, dapat nga ay pinupuri at pinapasalamatan natin sila dahil naging matagumpay ang kanilang operasyon at maraming nakumpiskang iligal na droga sa bar (They should praise and thank these police officers because of the successful operations against illegal drugs in a bar),” he said.
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Last Thursday night, Makati cops nabbed and detained Lenie Rocel Rocha, Jan Vincent Soliven, and Romulo Bernard Alarcon for reportedly obstructing the implementation of a search warrant inside the Makati bar.
Charges of constructive possession of illegal drugs, as well as obstruction of justice, resistance and disobedience to persons of authorities, and violation of a city ordinance against civilians crossing a police line, were slapped against the lawyers.
After being detained for more than 24 hours, the lawyers were ordered released by the Makati City prosecutor who set the preliminary investigation on August 28.
The search reportedly yielded some P1.7-million worth of party drugs and drug money. /ee
READ: Cops raid Makati bar for allegedly selling party drugs to customers