Daisy Macapanpan /PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK
MANILA, Philippines—The environmental activist, who was arrested last Saturday (June 12) for alleged rebellion, had shown confusion about whom the arrest order was for, questioning officers who read her Miranda rights.
In footage from a police body camera shown at the Pulis@UrSerbis program of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the UNTV Network, arresting officers were seen reading Miranda rights to Daisy Macapanpan, an environmental activist accused of being a communist rebel. The footage was shown to dispute talk that her arrest was illegal.
However, Macapanpan, who was accused of being part of the communist rebels’ Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee, was seen asking the officers who they were arresting as several aliases had been mentioned during the arrest.
“Ikaw po si Ka Tian Tyan, ikaw po Ka Tian Tyan ay inaaresto ko po sa kaso pong rebellion na may Criminal Case No. 2941-01, issued by Judge Arnelo Mesa po ng RTC (Regional Trial Court) Branch 65 ng Infanta Quezon,” a female police officer can be heard saying.
(You are Ka Tian Tyan, you Ka Tian Tyan is being arrested for the case of rebellion under Criminal Case No. 2941-01, issued by Judge Arnelo Mesa of RTC Branch 65 of Infanta Quezon.)
“Nako sino po ‘yon?” asked Macapanpan, while her hands were on her nape. “Sino po ‘yon teka, sino po muna ‘yon, sino po ‘yon, hindi ko po ‘yon kilala […] Sino po muna ‘yon, isama niyo po ako sa barangay captain namin para malinawan natin, sino po ba ‘yon?”
(Wait, who is that? Who is that, wait for a while, tell me who is that person first, I do not know her. Who is that, please bring me first to our barangay captain so that things would be clearer. Who is that?)
After this, a male officer can be heard instructing somebody to continue with the arrest. As the female officer continued reading the Miranda rights, Macapanpan appealed again for the officers to bring her first to the barangay office supposedly to verify her identity.
“Ay teka po muna, teka po muna, tayo po ay sa barangay captain. Sa barangay captain po tayo, hindi ko po ‘yan kilala,” she noted.
(Can we wait for a while, can we please go to our village head. Let us go to our barangay captain because I don’t know who you are arresting.)
Macapanpan was arrested last Saturday after police said that she was a member of the New People’s Army committee operating in Southern Tagalog. However, friends and relatives of the environmental activist condemned the manner in which she was arrested, claiming it was an overkill as over 20 officers went in to apprehend an unarmed senior citizen.
Information from police from General Nakar, Quezon said that several teams from the Philippine Air Force, Philippine Marines, the Special Action Force, the Calabarzon Regional Police, local police, and many other law enforcement units led the operation to serve the warrant of arrest on Macapanpan.
But, according to Quezon provincial deputy police chief Lt. Col. Noel Divino, police were only ensuring that officers were safe, insisting that Macapanpan was a ranking leader of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and NPA.
“Unang-una, kasama po natin ‘yong Special Action Force […] Itong 25 na Special Action Force ay ano lang po sila, (for) security. And then lima na galing PPO sila po ‘yong nag-aresto,” Divino said during the program.
(First of all, we were accompanied by the Special Action Force, these 25 SAF troopers are only for added security. And then only five of the local police went in to arrest the suspect.)
“In fact kung makikita po natin, she is a high-ranking cadre, ‘yong suspect po natin and isa sa mga matataas na opisyal ng CPP-NPA,” he added.
(In fact if we could only understand, she is a high-ranking cadre, the suspect is a high-ranking official of the CPP-NPA.)
Several of Macapanpan’s colleagues, including those from her days as a University of the Philippines—Baguio instructor, called on police to release the activist from detention claiming that she had been involved only in defending people’s environmental rights.
Even the mayor of the town where Macapanpan lived, Pakil Mayor Vince Soriano, had condemned the arrest, saying that she was being detained on vague charges.