“Well, in behalf of the police, ako na ang humihingi ng pasensya sa nangyari rito talaga. Nakagalitan ko nga ng husto,” he said in a radio interview on Monday, October 17, 2022.
(Well, on behalf of the police, I’m the one asking for forgiveness for what really happened here. I was very angry.)
Abalos said he has ordered the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) to re-strategize and pass through proper channels in order to reach out to media workers instead of going to their residence.
“Let’s sit down with them kasi alam niyo ang intensyon dito is really ipakita namin ang sinseridad ng pulis na andito kami to help and protect you kasi let’s face it, mahirap ang trabaho ninyo, may mandato kayo sabihn ang katotohanan,” he said.
(Let’s sit down with them because you know, the intention here is really to show the sincerity of the police that we are here to help and protect you because let’s face it, your job is difficult, you have a mandate to tell the truth.)
“Masakit man pero kailangan yan ang gawin niyo at during the course of your profession, hindi mo maiiwasan na yung ibang may mga masasamang tangka, talagang tatamaan,” he added.
(Even if it hurts but that’s what you have to do and during the course of your profession, you can’t avoid that others with bad intentions will really get hit.)
Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Colonel Jean Fajardo said the order for policemen to strengthen their coordination with media workers in their areas of jurisdiction came following the killing of veteran radio host Percy Lapid.
She clarified that the conduct of house-to-house visits was not part of the order.
“There was no direct instruction of directive coming from the national headquarters na magkaroon ng house visitation sa mga bahay ng ating mga kasahaman sa media. Itong nangyari nga sa mga ilang lugar, we can only presume na iba-iba ang nagging interpretation on how to proceed dito sa coordination sa ating mga media practitioners sa kani-kanilang mga areas of jurisdiction,” she said.
(There was no direct instruction of directive coming from the national headquarters to have a house visitation. What happened in some places, we can only presume that there are different interpretations on how to proceed here in coordination with our media practitioners in their respective areas of jurisdiction.)
Fajardo also apologized over the incident.
She said PNP Chief Rodolfo Azurin Jr. has ordered the conduct of a probe into the incident to make sure it will not happen again.
On Sunday, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) expressed concern over a complaint of GMA News reporter JP Soriano, made through Twitter, that a policeman, in civilian clothes, went to his house and asked for his condition.
Soriano said the police showed his ID and talked to him politely.
He said the police asked if he could take his photo in which he politely declined.
“Linawin ko lang po na hindi ang intensyong tulungan at proteksyunan kami ng PNP ang naging issue for me. That is something na ma-Appreciate ko personally. Pero Bakit po sa bahay namin? Paano at saan nila nalaman ang aming home address? At bakit kailangan ako kuhanan? What for?” said Soriano.
(Let me just clarify that the PNP’s intention to help and protect us was not the issue for me. That is something that I can appreciate personally. But why in our house? How and where did they find out our home address? And why do they need to take a photo? What for?)
ABS-CBN reporter Adrian Ayalin also showed a closed circuit television footage where policemen, in uniform, visited him in his residence. (SunStar Philippines)