Cops nab man for sneaking alcoholic drinks inside Manila cemetery

A police officer arrests a man caught with alcoholic drinks inside the Manila North Cemetery on Friday. Eyewitnesses said that a child, who turned out to be the suspect’s nephew, was dragging the ice chest when he stumbled and accidentally revealed the beverages. INQUIRER.net photo / Gabriel Pabico Lalu

MANILA, Philippines – A man was arrested by officers of the Manila Police District (MPD) after bottles of his alcoholic drinks, which are prohibited inside cemeteries, accidentally fell on the ground exposing them to authorities guarding the Manila North Cemetery on Friday, All Saints’ Day.

Witnesses said that the alcoholic drinks were revealed after the child who was dragging an ice chest near the cemetery’s rotunda stumbled, causing bottles of beer and liquor to roll along the street.

INQUIRER.net photo / Gabriel Pabico Lalu

MPD officers recovered at least six bottles of beer and one bottle of brandy before they accosted the child’s uncle, who later identified himself as a certain Renante Reyno. He was brought to Sta. Cruz Police Station Commander Lt. Col. Reynaldo Magdaluyo, who was manning the area.

Magdaluyo ordered the arrest of the suspect for violations of the city ordinances banning the bringing of alcoholic drinks inside the cemetery, which was considered a public place.

“Place handcuffs on this man and bring him to the station,” Magdaluyo said after reciting the Miranda rights to Reyno. “We have ordinances and laws that disallow this act, you were already instructed what not to do, but you are hard-headed, so you deserve to be jailed.”

“Our city mayor told you already, total ban of vendors inside and alcoholic drinks are not allowed inside,” the policeman added.

Reyno meanwhile denied accusations that he was planning to sell the liquor, insisting that they were for their own consumption. He also said that the contraband were not smuggled through the gates, but rather, were brought in days prior to the All Saints’ Day.

He and his companions supposedly asked a resident inside the Manila North Cemetery to store it for them.

“If you would drink that then that’s another violation. How were you able to slip this through? Where did this come from? Did you manage to slip it within our inspection lines at the gates?” Magdaluyo asked.

“No sir, we would be drinking that,” Reyno replied in Filipino. “We passed it through last week when inspections were not yet tight, then I fetched it.” /jpv