Senate sergeant-at-arms failed to arrest dela Paz

Miami
November 11, 2008
Story: Senate sergeant-at-arms failed to arrest dela Paz

The senate sergeant-at-arms arrived at the nati0nal headquarters of the PNP at Camp Crame in Quezon City at around 6:00pm.

Col. Jaime Dimacali of d senate sergeant-at-arms directly went to PNP headquarters support service (HSS)to coordinate on how they can serve the arrest warrant at d quarters of retired police dir eliseo dela paz inside camp crame.

But the chief of HSS, sr. Supt Alberto Alpabeto was not around at the HSS office to assist them. At around 6:20 pm Dimacali decided to go to the national headquarters office. There, he was entertained by the desk officer PO1 Bernard Tupal.

Dimacali said if he can coordinate with the chief of the PNP Police Director General Jesus Verzosa in order to gave the arrest warrant. But instead he was referred to coordinate with Directorate for Police Community Relations Chief, Police Director Leoplodo Bataoil.

Bataoil said Verzosa authorized him to attend to the needs of the sergeant-at-arms. After which, Dimacali and Bataoil had a closed door meeting while waiting for Atty. Noel Malaya, the legal counsel of dela Paz. Malaya arrived at around 7:55 pm.

Malaya said that his client, dela Paz, is currently “out of town.”

“The last time I talked to him was yesterday (Monday, November 10) and he told me that he will only visit some of his relatives to assure them that he is ok and safe,” Malaya said. As far as Malaya said, dela Paz is either in La Union or Bataan.

He also said that his client is already moved out of the quarters inside Camp Cram because dela Paz already retired from service.

Malaya said that the person only left in his quarters are his family (siblings and wife) and they are in the process of moving out all of their things.

Malaya assures Dimacali that dela Paz is not hiding, “We do not intent to snob this arrest order even though we have a pending case before the Supreme Court o the jurisdiction of the Committee on Foreign Relations with regards to the case.”

Dela Paz is expected to come back within two to three days, but Malaya said that he will call on dela Paz immediately to inform him about the arrest warrant and to ask him to return immediately.

Once dela Paz returned to Manila, Malaya assured Dimacali that his client will go directly to the Senate. If not, Dimacali said they have to arrest him.

After Malaya signed the arrest order the Senate sergeant-at-arms already left the office of Bataoil. This was at around 8:20 pm.