No need to suspend police officer who seized reporter’s cellphone during ‘Traslacion’ – DILG

January 12, 2020

Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año on Sunday said there is no need to suspend the director of Southern Police District (SPD) over an incident he had with a television reporter but he reminded the cops of the proper behavior.

In a radio interview, Año said he already ordered the officer-in-charge of the Philippine National Police to conduct an investigation after Police Brigadier General Nolasco Bathan confiscated the cellphone of GMA7 reporter Jun Veneracion who was taking a video of the police officers who were restraining an alleged leader of agitators during the annual Traslacion in Manila on January 9.

“First of all, even if he was not Jun Veneracion, a police officer should not do that… we could see that thousands of people were there and that was open (and) transparent (area),” he said.

“I also saw the video that was said to be deleted and nothing was wrong there. What the police did was reasonable cause that’s why I cannot understand why he confiscated Jun Veneracion’s cellphone. I already ordered Police Lieutenant General Archie Francisco Gamboa to conduct an investigation and I will wait for the result of the investigation,” he added.

Año said there was no need to suspend Bathan since he could not influence other cops to act that way.

“There is no need (for a suspension) and he cannot influence others… the report of his immediate superior to me was he was really apologetic and he really accepted his mistake,” Año said.

The interior secretary said what happened was only an isolated incident.

“I talked to Jun Veneracion and he actually said what he did not like was the confiscation of his phone and even deleting the video. He has no complaint actually on how the police handled the Traslacion… also for me, a police officer should not act like that,” Año said.

Año said he was satisfied how the annual procession went and they would continue to improve the system so that in the succeeding event the devotees could go near the image of the Black Nazarene without being hurt.

“So let us put some sense of order… we will continue to improve… we are assessing the procedure applied and we will find out how we can improve to the point that in succeeding (procession) there will be a system where the devotees can go near (the Andas or carriage) without getting hurt,” he said. Ella Dionisio/DMS