Why the PNP cannot arrest Imelda yet

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has not yet received any copy of the arrest warrant against former first lady and now Ilocos Norte Representative Imelda Marcos. That is the reason why police cannot yet place her under custody, following Sandiganbayan’s decision, convicting Mrs. Marcos of graft charges.

Chief Superintendent Benigno Durana Jr., PNP spokesman, said no less than Director General Oscar Albayalde, PNP Chief, had given the assurance to the public that Marcos would be arrested the moment the PNP receives the arrest warrant from the Sandiganbayan.

“The Sandiganbayan said they have yet to issue the arrest warrant by Monday. Be rest assured that we will never be too busy from doing our mandate,” Durana told The Manila Bulletin.

The PNP spokesman was reacting to criticisms in social media about the alleged double-standard in treating Marcos as opposed to Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.

Some of the netizens have pointed out that policemen were already posted at the Senate when Trillanes was then holed up even in the absence of the arrest warrant and claimed that the same eagerness is absent in the case of Marcos.

Albayalde, for his part, said that part of their compliance to the Sandiganbayan’s arrest warrant is to bring Marcos to where the anti-graft court wants her to be taken for custody.

But if in case the Sandiganbayan would order the PNP to have Marcos under police custody, Albayalde said there would be two options that would be implemented.

First is to bring Marcos to the Custodial Center at Camp Crame where Senator Leila de Lima is currently detained.

The second one is to place Marcos in one of the rooms of the PNP General Hospital also at Camp Crame – the same option given to former senator and now senatorial candidate Juan Ponce Enrile when the latter was arrested for a case of plunder in connection with the pork barrel scam.