PNP to continue street operations despite criticisms

The Philippine National Police (PNP) will continue to implement its street operations amid intense criticisms following the death of an arrested night idler in a Quezon City police jail and President Duterte's statement that he did not order the arrest of the so-called “tambay.”

PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde said that his men are not running after loiterers per se since what they are enforcing are city ordinances which include having a drinking session along the streets, antismoking, hanging out on the streets half-naked, and the curfew.

More than 7,000 people were arrested in what the police said was an enforcement of City ordinances in Metro Manila. Some regions have also intensified the campaign using similar local ordinances.

Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, director of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), confirmed that there is indeed no law that prohibits loitering.

As such, he echoed the statement of Albayalde that the operations are merely in the enforcement of the city ordinances which the PNP chief said are being implemented even before Duterte's statement.

“Our operations are not against ‘tambay’ but against violators of laws and ordinances. That is the reason we cannot arrest ‘tambay’ because there is no violation because there are no laws against ‘tambay’,” said Eleazar.

“We have been enforcing local ordinances for a long time. These just intensified last week because of the statement of the President," he added.

In a statement in Davao City, Duterte said he did not order the arrest of tambay.

“I never said arrest them, napakagaga** (such idiots). Why don't you just listen, i-rewind mo 'yung sinabi ko (rewind what I said),” he said Friday evening.

“Sinabiko (I said) [tell them], 'You go home. Do not congregate,'” he added.

This was in reaction to the criticisms that the PNP could not go after tambay in the absence of any law that prohibits it.

The PNP operations was further criticized after two call center agents were arrested while waiting to be fetched by a friend in Makati City.

Another person was also arrested for being half-naked in Quezon City. He died inside the police detention facility.

Eleazar said that their operations are based on the city ordinances and not a crackdown on ‘tambay.’

“Our actions must be within the limits of the law as should be always. We can only arrest those who are violating laws and ordinances. Otherwise, that is illegal arrest,” said Eleazar.

In a recent development, police officials are also prohibited in using the term antitambay operations, saying the operations are not against loiterers but enforcement of city ordinances.

The order not to use ‘tambay’ or loiteres in referring to the current police operations were already relayed to police commanders in Metro Manila.