MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will probe the warrantless raid conducted by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) at a poll watchers’ briefing in Navotas City.
Election lawyer Emilio Marañon III said on Sunday said that NBI agents “loaded with high-powered guns stormed without search warrant/warrant of arrest” during a poll watchers’ briefing.
Marañon added that one of the coordinators was “invited” to NBI’s headquarters for questioning about alleged vote-buying.
“They seized our watchers’ list, appointment letters, IDs and their allowance. A poor coordinator (a mother as well) was also ‘invited’ to NBI’s headquarters and even threatening me of arrest,” Marañon said in a tweet.
The lawyer called the raid a “total lawlessness” and a “weaponization of the law.”
Asked about the incident, Comelec Chairman Sheriff Abas said the NBI request to be deputized was rejected, meaning they should not have been allowed to conduct the raid.
“We will look into that. But the NBI has a request to be deputized in Navotas. But if I am not mistaken, that was denied. So basically they have no authority,” Abas said, speaking partly in Filipino, in a press briefing in Pasay.
Abas said that the agents could only conduct a raid only if they were members of the task force created against vote-buying.
“But they’re not part of that,” he said. “More or less, their raid was not authorized.”
Abas said that the Comelec would investigate the case before proceeding with any other action.
INQUIRER.net contacted the NBI regarding the issue but has not received a reply as of this writing.
(Editor: Alexander T. Magno)