Remulla: Sara Duterte camp sought 'drama' with handcuff, jail photos

MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla claimed that Vice President Sara Duterte's camp initially sought to have her photographed in handcuffs or behind bars during the service of her arrest warrant, calling the proposed scenario "drama." "Ang drama nila, gusto nila nakakulong siya. Hindi kami pumayag," Remulla said at a briefing Monday, Sept. 7, at Camp Crame. "Sanay kasi sila sa shortcut eh. Gusto niya may picture siya na naka-handcuffs, gusto niya may picture siya na nakakulong. Hindi namin ibinigay 'yon," he added. Remulla made the allegation as the Department of the Interior and Local Government and Philippine National Police showed video footage to dispute Duterte's earlier claims that police harassed her during the service of the warrant. "Any thoughts of harassment during the service are totally untrue. We dare them to present any CCTVs that they have in their office, in their residence of harassment that went on in the service of the warrant," Remulla said. Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Director Maj. Gen. Robert Alexander Morico II said police initially coordinated with the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group because of Duterte's security arrangements as the country's second-highest official. Morico said police offered to escort Duterte to the Quezon City court after booking procedures at the CIDG headquarters. He said, however, that Duterte's security group informed authorities that she did not want to post bail and instead wanted to be detained. "I was informed by the Vice Presidential Security Group that she does not want to post bail, she wants to be incarcerated. So they asked, kung saan ang jail facility," Morico said. Morico said he told Duterte's camp that she would not be placed in a regular jail and could instead be accommodated in the CIDG conference room. Authorities were later informed that Duterte would post bail. She eventually posted P360,000 bail for three counts of grave threats. Before entering the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 98, Duterte said she did not feel safe and cited alleged police harassment and surveillance. Morico said he later sent a team to Duterte's residence in San Juan after learning that she would appear in court to post bail. He said the officers deployed were all women and unarmed. "No need for any other armed police unit because she has her own security detail coming from the Vice Presidential Security Group," Morico said. Remulla said the footage showed no armed police component during the service of the warrant. "As you can see in the service of the warrant, there was no SWAT, there was no armed component, the women were all unarmed. They were duly accepted into the residence and into the office," he said.