Prosecutor orders radio reporter freed

The radio reporter who spent a night in detention for his supposed arrogant behavior toward a Marikina policeman was ordered released Wednesday morning.

Marikina City Prosecutor Jason Antonio Amante approved the release of dzRH reporter Edmar Estabillo pending the conduct of a preliminary investigation into the direct assault, unjust vexation and simple disobedience charges filed against him by SPO2 Manuel Laison Jr. on Nov. 16 and 23.

Estabillo, who covers the eastern part of Metro Manila, was arrested at 7:45 a.m. on Tuesday for his allegedly arrogant behavior toward Laison, the duty desk officer. According to Marikina police chief Senior Supt. Vincent Calanoga, the reporter approached the policeman and asked for permission to see the police blotter. When the policeman asked for an ID, Estabillo reportedly got irked and repeatedly pointed a finger at Laison.

A heated altercation resulted in Laison arresting the reporter who resisted. This led to a scuffle which was recorded on the police headquarters’ closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera.

In his release order, Amante noted that the CCTV footage was “material evidence” that would determine “who between the parties [was] the initial aggressor or the one at fault for the events that transpired.”

Rudolph Steve Jularbal, dzRH station manager and legal department head, told the Inquirer Wednesday that they were still studying the countercharges to file against Laison such as physical injuries and abuse of authority.

Jularbal said that according to company policy, Estabillo may have to take a leave of absence following the incident although he stressed that the reporter did not commit any violation to warrant the imposition of disciplinary action against him.

“He was just doing his job,” Jularbal told the Inquirer,  adding that assuming that Estabillo was indeed arrogant, “it didn’t justify [Laison’s] actions.”

The highlight of the five-minute clip of the incident, which has been making the rounds of social network sites, showed Laison tackling Estabillo after the reporter left the Investigation and Detection Management Branch office. It also showed Insp. Nicanor Lambino, the Tactical Operations Center chief, handing over to Laison the handcuffs used on Estabillo.

Lambino, Marikina police public information office head Senior Insp. Melanie Redon and other policemen have been accused of standing idly by during the scuffle. But Redon defended herself and her colleagues, saying they did not know what the commotion was all about.

Calanoga, meanwhile, said the police officials did not stop their colleague because the presumption was that if a policeman was arresting somebody, he was exercising his role as an officer.