Palace: 7,291 nabbed for ‘tambay’ probably not actually arrested

Malacañang on Thursday said that it is unlikely that the 7,291 individuals apprehended in Metro Manila since the government implemented a crackdown on loiterers were actually taken into custody.

“I dispute if 7,000 people were actually arrested. We don’t have the space for that given that mayroon na nga tayong overcrowding sa mga jail facilities natin,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque told reporters on Thursday.

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Guillermo Eleazar announced on Wednesday that 7,291 individuals had been apprehended during week-long anti-tambay operations.

Roque said that they might have been only cited instead of actually arrested.

“Ang nangyari po siguro diyan ay nasita no less than 7,000. Kasi po talaga physically may problema na po tayo sa mga kulungan ngayon, hindi na magkasya,” Roque said.

“Linawin po natin ang ating mga pigura. Tingin ko ‘yan ang mga na-apprehend, pero hindi naman ibig sabihin naaresto,” he added.

The Palace official made the clarification after President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday that no arrest had been made even after he ordered the crackdown on June 13.

Roque said the police would not arrest loiterers unless they were committing city or barangay ordinances such as drinking alcoholic drinks in public, or breaching curfew if they were minors.

"Gaya ng sinabi ko po, iyong mga pag-aresto na iyan dapat magresulta sa pagsampa ng kaso otherwise dapat i-release, otherwise illegal detention naman po iyong ating kapulisan," he said. — BM, GMA News