The director of Philippine National Police's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) on Monday said due process was observed when they arrested the editor of a publication and six others last week.

“The operations conducted by the PNP led by the CIDG are all covered by search warrants validly issued by the RTC Branch 89 of Quezon City,” Police Major General Joel Napoleon Coronel said in a press briefing.

“We have observed due process and in fact the arrested suspects have been informed of their constitutional rights to remain silent, to have counsel and to be assisted by counsel of their choice and precisely why these cases had been referred to the prosecutors' office for inquest proceedings where they were assisted also by counsel,” he said.

Coronel said the warrants they served have been applied for based on reliable information provided by their informants and by the courts who examined the witnesses under oath.

“And at the time of the service of these search warrants the operations were also witnessed by independent third parties coming from the LGUs and the barangay officials who were present during the conduct of the search and raid operations,” Coronel said.

Last December 10, CIDG personnel nabbed Manila Today editor Lady Ann Salem and six others in a simultaneous operation against "loose firearms and criminal gangs".

Found in Salem’s possession were four caliber .45 pistols, four grenades, four caliber .45 magazines, and 29 rounds of caliber .45 ammunition.

Coronel said they are welcome to any investigation over anomalies or irregularities they allegedly committed during their operations.

“It is precisely for this reason if they have claims coming from the CHR (Commission on Human Rights) or any other body that anomalies or irregularities had been committed by the PNP, we are welcome to address this but so far based also on information by our operating units and even members of media who were present at that time, there are no reports indicating that such violations had been committed,” he said.

“Again, the operation was compliant with police operational procedures,” he added. Ella Dionisio/DMS