Cops axed for wrong tambay arrest

Two Makati City policemen were relieved from their posts on Monday after they mistakenly arrested six persons as tambays or loiterers in one of their operations last weekend, an official said yesterday.

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar said he ordered the relief of Chief Insp. Aaron Raemon Elago and Senior Police Officer 1 James Teaño.

Elago was station commander of police community precinct 6 of the Makati police while Teaño was desk officer of police community precinct 7 where some men were mistakenly nabbed for being tambays. “Kaya na-relieve sila kasi mali ang ginawa

nila (They were relieved because they made a mistake). We also relieved them to pave the way for investigation of the incident,” Eleazar said.

The Southern Police District said that Police Chief Insp. Romeo Vasquez replaced Elago while Teaño remains at the police community precinct.

Facebook user Ttam Nanaramid said

they were arrested and detained by the police in Makati for no apparent reason while waiting outside his friend’s house at around 11 p.m. last Saturday.

Nanaramid said that he and his partner along with other friends were planning to go to a bar when the police arrested them, along with several others who were caught drinking on the street.

He said they heard the police just want them to ride the police vehicle so they could answer questions at the precinct, so they went along.

They insisted they were not loiterers.

But to his surprise, Nanaramid said that he and his five companions were detained along with the arrested tambays at the Guadalupe Nuevo police station 7.

Nanaramid said that the police who arrested them allegedly did not listen to their explanations as well as some questions of their law student friend about their violations.

He said the police were allegedly waiting for Elago, as they could not decide on their arrest.

A policeman allegedly asked them if they were aware of the order of President Duterte to arrest tambays, adding that all of what he has said has become law.

He said they were detained for almost an hour before they were released between 2 to 3 a.m. from the police station after they were invited to Elago’s office.

Eleazar said that the policemen misinterpreted the order of the President, saying that only those who clearly violate existing ordinances like the no smoking law, drinking in public places and gambling, among others are to be arrested under the anti-tambay campaign.

Senior Supt. Rogelio Simon, chief of Makati City police, said that the police should have arrested only those who have violated the city ordinances and not whoever they saw on the street.

But Simon said that they reoriented their members on how to implement and who to arrest in the anti-tambay campaign.

He said that sanctions against Elago and Teaño will be determined based on the outcome of their investigation.

Malacañang, meanwhile, allayed fears yesterday that President Duterte’s order for the police to go after tambays is a prelude to the declaration of martial law nationwide.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said the President was clear when he declared that martial law implementation all over the country was a complex undertaking.

He has absolutely no intentions right now, unless there would be reasons to do so,” Roque said, adding there is no reason for the declaration of martial law.

“There is martial law in Mindanao. So, there is no need to have a prelude to martial law… it’s already in Mindanao,” he said.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), Roque said, will be issuing the proper guidelines on the police’s operations against tambays.

Mayors support drive

Mayors nationwide supported the order of President Duterte to round up tambays or loiterers that could result in crime-free communities, the DILG claimed yesterday.

DILG officer-in-charge Eduardo Año said the President’s directive to be strict with loiterers has gained the support of local government units (LGUs), especially the barangays.

Año said LGUs already have existing ordinances to prevent crime, which include addressing the problem of loiterers requiring strict implementation and political will.

He said there are existing local ordinances against drinking in public places, going out halfnaked and curfew on minors.

Duterte recently directed the PNP to be strict in dealing with street loiterers or tambays, especially those who roam the streets in the wee hours, to keep communities safe from criminals.

DILG Assistant Secretary Jonathan Malaya said being strict with tambays is just one of several measures being carried out by local government authorities in fulfilling their duty of protecting the general welfare of the public.

“Let us give our LGUs a chance to exercise their mandate of protecting their constituency and ensuring the safety of their communities. After all, these measures are for the greater good of the community,” said Malaya, who is also DILG spokesman.

“The President is simply concerned with the welfare of all Filipinos, especially lawabiding citizens who need to go to work or return home late at night.

Thus, the President’s remarks are more in the nature of crime prevention than anything else. Let us not read too much into it as the critics are wont to do,” he added.

Dagupan loiterers

The Dagupan City police apprehended at least 100 tambays in different barangays on Monday night and early yesterday morning.

Supt. Jandale Sulit, Dagupan police chief, said the arrested loiterers were detained at the gymnasium of Caranglaan Elementary School after the police conducted Oplan Rody to round up tambays.

Those apprehended included minors, people drinking liquor, prostitutes and pimps, cigarette smokers that were all loitering in the streets on Monday night.

Sulit said Oplan Rody includes the implementation of a city ordinance, also known as Artikulo 21 that was passed by the local council, against violators of various city ordinances pertaining to discipline in the streets.

“All people should not loiter in the streets from 10 p.m. onwards if they have no business to be outside their homes,” he said.

He said even foreign students in Dagupan would be warned to avoid loitering in the streets before midnight.

Human rights group Karapatan yesterday questioned the reported police arrest of tambays in Metro Manila.