The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said that it is concerned with the safety of media men following the tragic death of Percy Lapid.
This statement was issued after GMA reporter JP Soriano reported that a cop who is not in uniform made an unannounced visit to his residence last week.
In a Twitter thread on October 15, Soriano narrated that an individual showed up at his private residence with a police I.D. to check up on him and other journalists.
“Sila raw ay inutusan ng #PNP na ‘i-check’ ang lagay ng mga journalist matapos daw ang nangyari kay Percy Lapid. Sinabi ko na wala naman threat sa akin or sa amin, tinanong kung pwede akong kuhanan ng picture for documentation and I politely declined,” Soriano said.
1.) Isang nagpakilalang Pulis ang nagpunta sa aking private residence ngayon, nagpakita ng I.D. pero hindi naka uniform, Hinanap ako at maayos namang nagpakilala at sinabing inutusan daw sila ng #PNP para “kamustahin” ang mga journalists at kung may “threat” ba sa amin? @gmanews
— JP Soriano (@jpsoriano) October 15, 2022
In response, NCRPO Chief Brig. Gen. Jonnel Estomo admitted that the agency did conduct this “gesture”.
Estomo pointed out that NCRPO cops were only reaching out to media men because they are concerned about their safety and welfare.
“In as much as the NCRPO is concerned about the safety and welfare of our media men, we confirm that it was our gesture to know if there are threats on their lives and of their families in order to assess the security assistance that we have to accord to them,” he said.
“In our commitment to protect them from danger and ensure their safety, we have been reaching out to our friends from the media especially those who have been receiving threats,” he added.
Estomo, however, apologized to Soriano and to the rest of the media personnel for the officer who conducted the visit while in civilian clothing.
“Though we have a good [intention for] this endeavor, I personally apologize to all our media friends and [an investigation] is already [in] place pertaining to this incident,” he said.
The NCRPO chief further said that the police officer involved has also been summoned and identified.
An investigation will also be conducted by the Marikina City Police Chief about this incident.
More questions
Soriano clarified to the NCRPO that what his concerned about is the fact that the police knew where he lives.
He said this in a quote-retweet to a fellow reporter’s post.
“Naku, @pioncrpoWeCare. Please kindly relay to the General na hindi ang police officer na nag punta sa bahay namin ang concern ko, he was just following orders I’m sure kaya please do not suspend/reprimand him,” Soriano said.
“Ang issue ko hr is paano at saan nila nakuha ang home address namin?” he added.
Naku, @pioncrpoWeCare Please kindly relay to the General na hindi ang police officer na nag punta sa bahay namin ang concern ko, he was just following orders I’m sure kaya please do not suspend/reprimand him. Ang issue ko hr is paano at saan nila nakuha ang home address namin? https://t.co/3T1gCzAnev
— JP Soriano (@jpsoriano) October 15, 2022
Soriano earlier stated that the police officer in question asked for the address of another journalist in the area after they talked.
He quickly called Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro to tell him about this situation.
According to his tweets, Teodoro told Soriano that the orders to go to their houses came from the Philippine National Police.
Soriano, however, said that these actions are liable under the Data Privacy Act of 2012.
He also pointed out that the PNP should coordinate with their offices and not go directly to their homes.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines also issued a statement about the matter.
It emphasized that any work-related meetings and dialogues are best conducted in newsrooms and through journalism organizations.
[Statement] Unannounced police visits not reassuring pic.twitter.com/ZCUL5rUIig
— NUJP (@nujp) October 15, 2022
The death of Lapid, a veteran broadcaster who was a staunch critic of the Duterte and Marcos Jr. administrations, sparked an international call for condemnation and justice for the killings of journalists and other vocal critics of the government in the country.
RELATED: ‘Deplorable crime’: Killing of veteran broadcaster Percy Lapid denounced
On October 3, he was killed by two unidentified suspects at the gate of a subdivision in Las Piñas City.
