MANILA – The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday admitted its mistake in arresting Davao City-based columnist Margarita Valle on Sunday at the Laguindingan Airport in Misamis Oriental.
PNP spokesman Colonel Bernard Banac said Valle was a victim of mistaken identity upon verification when she was brought to an office of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Zamboanga Peninsula.
“Upon arrival of the witness who physically identified the subject, witness further averred that the suspect has major resemblance but is not the actual suspect who is the subject of the warrant,” Banac said.
PNP chief General Oscar Albayalde said the authorities are willing to assist Valle if she felt she was violated as he scored on possible “failure of intelligence.”
“Kasama doon sa investigation na ginagawa natin ‘yan…on how deep ‘yung kanilang case built-up dito. Basically kasi ‘yung ating law enforcers, hindi naman kilala ‘yung subject, it is the complainant ang nakakakilala sa subject usually,” Albayalde said.
“Kung minsan nagkakamali ‘yung nagtuturo especially the complainant,” he added. “After naman kung walang nangyari, nire-release naman ng maayos.”
The police in an earlier report said the 60-year-old columnist was arrested by virtue of standing warrants for multiple murder with quadruple frustrated murder and damage to government property issued by a Misamis Occidental regional trial court in Dec. 2011.
Another arrest warrant for arson, released by a court in Pagadian City in Sep. 2006 bailable for P24,000, was also served against her.
Valle was at the airport for her flight home after supposedly attending a writing workshop in Cagayan de Oro when the arrest happened. /PN
