Arrogance toward a police officer

Is arrogance toward a police officer a crime?

It is, according to the Marikina police station, which arrested Edmar Estabillo, a reporter for radio dzRH who covers the eastern part of Metro Manila.

Estabillo was arrested and detained for figuring in an altercation with SPO2 Manuel Laison who accused him of being arrogant.

The quarrel between the reporter and the policeman, who was the desk officer at the time, started when the former asked if he could browse over the police blotter and the latter refused.

A police blotter, which records crimes in a particular area reported in a police station or precinct, is a public document.

Any citizen can go over the police blotter.

Journalists especially, because of the nature of their job, are given access to the police blotter.

The Marikina police chief, Senior Supt. Vincent Calanoga, said Estabillo allegedly told Laison, “Don’t you know who I am? Why would I wear my ID just for you?”

Calanoga, in defending Laison, was clearly condoning his subordinate’s misdeed.

But wait, Estabillo was wearing his dzRH jacket with his name patch on it when he asked to be allowed to browse over the blotter.

And he was once president of the Eastern Police District Press Corps.

It was impossible for Laison not to have recognized Estabillo.

Laison, who has a reputation for barking at journalists, was probably having a bad hair day again when Estabillo visited the station.

But why would Laison arrest and detain Estabillo—even granting he was arrogant as he  demanded to look at the police blotter—for a crime which does not exist in the statute books?

Arrogance toward a police officer—granting Estabillo was indeed arrogant—is not a crime.

Detaining a citizen for being arrogant toward a police officer is like arresting him for “illegal possession of an ugly face” which, believe me, many cops think exists in the statute books!

* * *

An Air Force UH-1D helicopter crash-landed in Mindanao while evacuating wounded military personnel from the battlefield.

You know what caused the crash? Strong winds!

The downed UH-1D helicopter is one of 23 controversial refurbished helicopters which figured in the P1.2-billion scandal involving defense officials.

The  helicopters were found in  junk lots  in Germany and pieced together in the backyard of an airplane maker in the United States.

Needless to say, it’s unsafe to fly in these helicopters.

Needless to say, some officials close to President Noynoy allegedly benefited from the helicopter deal.