President Marcos has taken a “much ado about nothing” position on “selfies” taken by government personnel during the repatriation of erstwhile fugitive Alice Guo, who was on the verge of escaping Philippine justice when she was caught in Indonesia.
The chief executive shrugged off the supposedly tasteless photos circulating online, pointing out that the Philippines has gained the dubious reputation of being the “Selfie Capital of the World.”
“I think that is part of the new culture now—people always taking photos to post online,” Mr. Marcos said in an interview on Friday.
“They want to show they were part of the team that made an arrest. You can’t stop people from smiling, so they took a selfie,” he added.
He was referring to photos showing Guo smiling with agents from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Bureau of Immigration (BI) as they took her to Indonesian immigration before her return to Manila early Friday.
However, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos apparently thought the fuss generated by the photo showing him, PNP Chief Gen. Rommel Marbil and Guo in what appeared to be a light moment was important enough to address formally.
He explained that the photo was taken to document a meeting requested by Guo to discuss supposed death threats she has been receiving.
Abalos also said he didn’t realize that the disgraced former Bamban mayor had struck a “pa-cute” pose as the photo was being taken.
“This kind of photo, as long as it’s facing like that, you cannot tell what is [happening] next to you, etc. This photo is an offshoot of that meeting that was being documented. And I really do not know why she was posing like that.” Abalos said, in a chance interview on the sidelines of a situation briefing in the province of Rizal.
Meanwhile, Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez said they recognize the need to improve professionalism among Bureau of Immigration (BI) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) personnel following their viral photos with Guo in Indonesia.
In an interview, Vasquez said the former mayor is a fugitive from justice such that she must be treated in the same manner as any other offender.
“We asked the NBI Director [Jaime Santiago] to initiate an investigation on the matter and impose disciplinary penalties as may be needed,” he told Manila Standard.
Vazquez said the arrest was “huge news” even in the eyes of international media.
However, he also pointed out that agents may have just been immersed in the “euphoria of success of having finally gotten hold of a fugitive who has been making a joke out of our law enforcement effort” when they took the photos to which Guo seemingly consented gleefully.
Still, senators slammed the photos, calling the government agents’ actions “unprofessional.”
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian stressed that all law enforcers should show professionalism and proper decorum, especially in arresting fugitives.
“It’s really bad for law enforcers to take ‘selfies’ with a criminal and post their pictures on social media,” he noted.
Sen. Joel Villanueva said he felt frustrated over what he described as the embarrassing attitude of officials and arresting officers.
“What a disaster! Disaster to say the least,” he said.
Beyond the stir caused by the photos, there is a custody battle brewing between two branches of government over who gets Guo first.
In a statement, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said she respects the arrest warrant issued by the judiciary but Senators were the first to issue a warrant for the ex-mayor’s capture.
“The Senate triggered the manhunt. It was a Senate warrant that Philippine law enforcement had in hand when they went to Jakarta,” she said in Filipino.
