Niño Muhlach posts bail, but stays in jail

Actor Niño Muhlach has posted a P200,000-bail on drug possession charges but still failed to immediately gain temporary release from prison as he awaited the court's decision on his legal action. GMA News reported that as of Friday morning, Muhlach was still behind bars at Camp Bagong Diwa police headquarters in Taguig City. The report added that Muhlach now has two options. He can either to submit himself to judicial proceedings or to voluntarily enter a rehabilitation program at a public center, which would last six months to two years. The 35-year-old former child acting sensation has refused to grant media interviews. Senior Inspector Elmer Santiago of the Regional Police Intelligence and Operations Unit (RPIOU), National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) told GMA News said Muhlach was "just resting" inside the jail cell. As this developed, the Philippine National Police (PNP) Crime Laboratory confirmed that the "white crystalline substance" confiscated from Muhlach was indeed the illegal drug shabu. Laboratory analysts for the Southern Police District (SPD) reported that plastic sachet found in Muhlach's possession contained 1.9 grams of the prohibited substance. "Qualitative examination conducted on the abovestated specimen gave positive result to the tests for metamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu), a dangerous drug," the PNP Crime Laboratory said in its report. Senior Inspector Abraham Verde Tecson, chief of the Physical Science Section, signed the document as the test examiner. Last Thursday, the NCRPO charged the Muhlach with violation of Section 11 Article 11 of the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. Two policemen earlier claimed they arrested Muhlach after the Anti-Illegal Drugs Branch-RPIOU received information that an "illegal drug activity being proliferated by a certain Niño" would take place Tuesday at Shopwise mall in Libis. Conducting surveillance operations at the food court, they noticed a woman passing an object under the table to a male companion. They were able to apprehend Muhlach, but the woman escaped. Santiago told GMA News that Muhlach did not resist arrest. "Aminado siya (He admitted it). When he was apprehended, he requested that the policemen do not create a scene and that he would go to the precinct," Santiago said. - GMANews.TV