FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) will welcome any sanction it may incur if found violating the Data Privacy Act when its cops visited the home of media men over the weekend.
NCRPO spokesman Police Lt. Col. Dexter Versola explained that the visit to journalists’ homes was only to show concern and safety to media men following the assassination of broadcaster Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa.
“If indeed the Philippine National Police was nagkaroon ng breach, siguro doon magkakaroon ng check sa amin if we will be sanctioned, kung may [violation] ‘yung pagiging pag-serve ng aming trabaho,” Versola said in an interview over ABS CBN News Channel.
(If there was a breach, maybe they could check on us if we will be sanctioned, if there’s violation when we did our job.)
Versola assured the public that the gesture was done “without malice” and with “genuine concern” to protect media personalities.
NCRPO chief Brig. Gen. Jonnel Estomo earlier apologized for the home visits to journalists and ordered all police chiefs, down to the stations, to stop the initiative.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, GMA TV reporter JP Soriano said an officer in plainclothes showed up at his house unannounced to “check” on his security.
According to Soriano, the policeman showed him his identification card and introduced himself properly, saying he wanted to see how he was doing and asked if he had received any threats recently.
Soriano said the cop asked to take a picture for documentation but he politely declined.
Asked about the need to take a photo, Versola explained that it was only for proof that the policemen complied with the order to visit the homes of journalists to check on them.
“We sincerely apologize but I think ‘yung paghihingi ng (asking for a) picture is a manner of showing that we complied to our commanders that we did really personally visit the media so that we have evidence to show them,” the NCRPO spokesman said.
Versola also said that home addresses of journalists were established through coordination with barangay officials.
“‘Yung addresses, through coordination lang. Nagtanong lang sa ating barangay captain sa area na ‘yun,” he said.
(We learned the home addresses of journalists through coordination. The cops asked the barangay captain of that area).