Davao columnist Margarita Valle arrested at Laguindingan Airport

Margarita Valle, a columnist from Davao City, was arrested by police at Laguindingan Airport in Misamis Oriental on Sunday morning, the Philippine National Police confirmed.

According to the police report, the 60-year-old columnist was nabbed by virtue of standing warrants of arrest for multiple murder with quadruple frustrated murder and damage to government property issued by a Misamis Occidental regional trial court in December 2011.

No bail was recommended for the charges against Valle.

Meanwhile, another arrest warrant for arson, released by a court in Pagadian City in September 2006 and bailable for P24,000, was also served against her.

The columnist reportedly attended a writing workshop in Cagayan de Oro and was on her way home to Davao when the arrest happened.

Valle's son Rius Valle, spokesperson of the child-focused non-government organization Save Our Schools Network, had said in a Facebook post that his mother had been arrested and that they have lost communication with her.

"Obviously these are all trumped-up charges," Rius later said in an update. "Her whereabouts is still unknown."

According to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines in a tweet, Valle was able to call someone about her arrest.

ALERT: Davao Today columnist reportedly nabbed, missing pic.twitter.com/g5dDV9kHDG

— NUJP (@nujp) June 9, 2019

 — BM, GMA News