BACOLOD CITY — A 78-year-old man was arrested by the Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) personnel on September 10 on a warrant for four counts of libel, a day after he allegedly threatened to shoot a Negros Occidental provincial government official at the Provincial Capitol.
The man, identified by police only as alias “John,” married and a resident of Barangay 1, Bacolod City, was arrested at about 10:40 a.m. at the Cottage Road Hall of Justice in Barangay 9, Bacolod City.
The PRO-NIR said the arrest was carried out by personnel of its Regional Intelligence Division in coordination with Police Station 2 of the Bacolod City Police Office, the BCPO Tracker Team and the Tracker Team of the 601st Maneuver Company of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion-Negros Island Region.
Police said the arrest was made by virtue of a warrant issued by the Regional Trial Court of the National Capital Judicial Region, Branch 280 in Mandaluyong City, for four counts of libel under Article 353 of the Revised Penal Code.
The warrant carries a fixed bail of P40,000, according to PRO-NIR.
The arrest came a day after the man allegedly threatened employees at the Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol on September 9.
Based on the initial police report, the man went to the Provincial Administrator’s Office at about 11:30 a.m. and demanded the withdrawal of a document he had previously submitted.
He also reportedly asked for Provincial Administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz II, who was not at the office at the time.
Police said the man allegedly threatened to shoot Diaz before leaving the area.
The incident was reported to police at about 1:30 p.m. the same day.
Authorities subsequently launched security and investigative measures to determine the circumstances surrounding the alleged threat and assess whether additional charges may be appropriate.
Police have yet to establish the full circumstances surrounding the alleged statement, and the reported grave threat remains under investigation.
The latest arrest, meanwhile, was based on the existing warrant for the four counts of libel and was separate from any potential case that may arise from the alleged threat at the Capitol.
PRO-NIR Director Brig. Gen. Rudecindo L. Reales said authorities would continue to respond swiftly to threats involving public officials and government institutions while observing legal procedures.
“We will respond promptly and appropriately to threats against public officials and government institutions. At the same time, we will ensure that every police action remains firmly anchored on the law and that due process is observed,” Reales said.
The arrested man remains in police custody for documentation and proper disposition.
Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said the provincial government had not yet filed a case against the man in connection with the alleged threat at the Capitol.
Lacson said the immediate concern of the provincial government was the safety and security of employees working inside the Capitol.
He said authorities were also looking into measures to prevent similar incidents, including the possible strengthening of security protocols within the provincial government complex.
Provincial Administrator Diaz, in a radio interview, said the provincial government was conducting a fact-finding process to establish what happened during the incident.
The provincial government is also awaiting the report of the Capitol’s head of security regarding the alleged threat./PN
