Wedding proposal involving fake arrest earns mixed reactions from netizens

A video of a policeman faking an arrest to help a man propose to his fiancée went viral online and earned both amusement and anger from netizens due to its controversial nature.

The video of the proposal, as seen in a report by GMA News' JP Soriano on 24 Oras on Thursday, showed a policeman trying to arrest a man, who was with his fiancee, over a supposed hit-and-run incident.

After making the man kneel on the ground, the policeman pulled out the supposed warrant for his arrest and gave it to the man's fiancee, only to reveal a paper that said "Will you marry me?"

While some find the stunt sweet, several comments found the use of a policeman distasteful especially amid the killings of drug suspects in police anti-drug operations.

Police Officer 2 Ronnie Beñosa Candelaria, the policeman in the video, said he saw nothing wrong in helping his friend propose this way as he was already off duty when he did the stunt.

"Sabi niya gusto niya ng unique na aarestohin mo ako, ganito ganyan," Candelaria explained. "Wala nang masama dahil kaibigan ko naman 'yun, siya ang humingi ng tulong, in good faith naman 'yan."

Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald Dela Rosa likewise saw nothing wrong with the proposal, saying it did not violate police protocol.

"Kung pre-arranged naman 'yun, meron silang prearranged na usapan doon sa aarestuhin nila at 'yun nakakatulong sa kanya, may na-violate ba pulis dun? Wala naman siguro," Dela Rosa said.

As of Thursday evening, the video has earned 1.4 million views. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News