Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—The three security guards involved in the Dasmarinas Village standoff with Makati Mayor Junjun Binay were not detained, police said.
Senior Superintendent Manuel Lukban Jr., chief of the Makati City police, told INQUIRER.net in a phone interview that the guards were only invited for “clarification and custodial inquiry.”
“Wala pong detention na nangyari. Nagkaroon lang tayo ng custodial inquiry. Inimbitahan po natin sila to clarify everything, sino po ba ang complainant, ano ang tunay na pangyayari, gano’n lang po ang aming tinanong at sila po ay hindi dinetain (No detention happened. They were invited for a custodial inquiry and to clarify everything, who is the complainant, what really happened. Those were the nature of our questions and they were not detained.),”Lukban said.
Binay allegedly ordered the arrest of three security guards of Dasmarinas Village in Makati when they refused to allow his four-car convoy to pass through a restricted gate supposedly closed at midnight last November 30.
According to an Inquirer report, which the camp of Binay denied, the guards were taken to the Makati City police headquarters where they were “detained” for four hours.
Lukban clarified that the security guards’ stay in the police station took four hours because “napasarap ang usapan nila” with Roxanne Antonio-Singson, sister of the Right Eight Security president Ram Antonio.
The three guards were recruited by Right Eight agency.
Antonio-Singson, according to the Makati police chief, was also from the National Defense College of the Philippines, almamater of Lukban.
“The truth behind that was Ms. Roxanne came to the police station an hour after the guards were brought to the station. I then invited her to my office at napasarap ang usapan over cups of tea,” he said.
Their conversation, along with newly-elected Makati village chief, took two hours, Lukban said.
In short, the security guards who were allegedly detained were merely waiting in the lobby for four hours before they were able to report back to their posts, said Lukban.
Concerned Binay
The Makati police chief said the Mayor even expressed to him personally his concern for the security guards.
“With all the concern sa mga security guard, sabi niya (Binay) sa akin and I quote ‘Manny, ‘wag mo nang ikulong pa yan. Darating ang mga may ari ng agency. May pamilya rin mga ‘yan. Sabihin mo na alang na pangaralan ng courtesy.’ Tapos umalis na rin siya sa police station (With all the concerns on the security guards, he (Mayor Binay) said and I quote ‘Manny, don’t detain them. The owner of the agency is about to arrive. They have families also. Just tell them to scold them about courtesy),” he told INQUIRER.net over the phone.
Disproving accusations that Binay harassed the Dasma guards, he said: “There were only three of them (guards). Mayor and his sister, Senator Nancy Binay, have with them drivers and security aides. They can overpower the guards if they really want to.”
“But he acknowledged the village security. When the police invited the guards in the police station, he accompanied them. Nagpakababang loob at kinilala niya ang police,” he said.
No detention procedures
When conducting arrests, Lukban explained that they have to undergo procedures before temporarily putting the person behind bars.
“They did not even undergo these arrest procedures like booking and medical exam,” he said.
RELATED STORIES:
Mayor Binay deserved some courtesy, says Vice President
‘Our guards did nothing wrong’— Dasmariñas Village officer
3 Dasma guards who stopped Binay convoy held, freed