Albayalde: PNP to obey Duterte if he orders arrest of impeachment backers

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) will arrest those who will file an impeachment complaint against President Rodrigo Duterte if the Chief Executive would order it to do so and if it sees a violation of the law.

PNP chief General Oscar Albayalde made this assurance on Monday but was also quick to say that the President so far has not given them instructions about his earlier jail threat against those planning to file an impeachment complaint against him.

READ: Duterte on impeachment proponents: I’ll jail them all

“Of course, kung talagang pinag-utos ng Presidente at may nakita tayong (if the President really ordered it and we saw) violation of the law, why not?” Albayalde said in a press conference in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

He further assured that the PNP will hold a proper investigation on those suspected to be planning to unseat Duterte.

“There will be an investigation. Hindi mo naman pwedeng basta-basta kunin ‘yung tao dahil tinuro at kukunin mo (You cannot just grab a person because someone pointed at him). There will always be an investigation before you can make an arrest,” Albayalde said.

Asked what laws will apply to those who would file an impeachment complaint against Duterte, the PNP chief said it will depend on what violation the police will find out against the filer.

“Kasi ‘yung pag-impeach sa kanya, it’s not covered by the law, but violations, depende kung meron, either sedition or libel. Depende kung anong makita natin na violation ng batas,” Albayalde said.

(Impeachment of the President is not covered by the law, but if there are violations, it could either be sedition or libel. It depends on which violation of the law we see.)

“As (for) the specifics, hindi natin masabi kung anong magiging violation ng mga tao na ‘to (we cannot say what kind of violation they will have),” he said. (Editor: Katherine G. Adraneda)