Warrantless arrest, legal sa buy- bust operation

ni Atty. Persida Rueda-Acosta @Magtanong Kay Attorney | Enero 18, 2023

Dear Chief Acosta,

Naaresto diumano ang aking pinsan dahil sa pagbebenta ng ipinagbabawal na gamot nang walang warrant na iprinisenta sa kanya. Legal pa rin diumano iyon sabi ng pulis na nakausap ng pamilya niya. Tama ba iyon? Naganap ang pagkakaaresto niya sa buy-bust operation. - Butchoy

Dear Butchoy,

Bagama’t ang warrant of arrest ay kailangang ipresenta sa tao na aarestuhin kaugnay sa krimen na inaakusa laban sa kanya, mayroong sitwasyon na kinikilala ang ating batas, kung saan maaaring legal na maaresto ang akusado kahit wala ang nasabing warrant. Ang tawag sa ganitong uri ng pag-aresto ay warrantless arrest at ito ay dapat alinsunod sa Section 5, Rule 113, Revised Rules on Criminal Procedure:

“Sec. 5. Arrest without warrant; when lawful. - A peace officer or a private person may, without a warrant, arrest a person:

a. When, in his presence, the person to be arrested has committed, is actually committing, or is attempting to commit an offense;

b. When an offense has just been committed and he has probable cause to believe based on personal knowledge of facts or circumstances that the person to be arrested has committed it; and

c. When the person to be arrested is a prisoner who has escaped from a penal establishment or place where he is serving final judgment or is temporarily confined while his case is pending, or has escaped while being transferred from one confinement to another.”

Sa sitwasyon ng iyong pinsan, maaaring legal ang pagkakaaresto sa kanya kung ito ay nangyari habang ginagawa o kagagawa pa lamang niya ng krimen, angkop sa mga alituntunin ng nabanggit sa itaas. Kahit pa ang pangyayari ay habang mayroong buy-bust operation, kung sadya naman siyang nahuli sa akto ng pagbebenta ng ipinagbabawal na gamot ay lehitimo siyang maaaresto kahit walang warrant of arrest. Ipinaliwanag ng ating Korte Suprema sa kaso ng People of the Philippines vs. Michael Frias (G.R. No. 234686, June 10, 2019, Ponente: Honorable Associate Justice Amy C. Lazaro-Javier):

“Here, appellant was arrested during an entrapment operation where he was caught in flagrante delicto selling and in possession of shabu. In People v. Rivera, the Court reiterated the rule that an arrest made after an entrapment operation does not require a warrant inasmuch as it is considered a valid “warrantless arrest,” in line with the provisions of Rule 113, Section 5(a) of the Revised Rules of Court. A buy-bust operation is a form of entrapment which in recent years has been accepted as a valid and effective mode of apprehending drug pushers. In a buy-bust operation, the idea to commit a crime originates from the offender, without anybody inducing or prodding him to commit the offense. If carried out with due regard for constitutional and legal safeguards, a buy-bust operation deserves judicial sanction.”

Gayunman, mainam pa ring humingi ng legal na tulong at/o serbisyo ng abogado upang masigurong mapoprotektahan ang karapatan ng iyong pinsan. Kung wala siyang pribadong abogado, maaari siya o ang sinuman sa kanyang pamilya na magsadya sa PAO district office na nakasasakop sa lugar kung saan siya nakapiit o kung saan nakahain ang reklamo laban sa kanya. Karaniwang matatagpuan ang aming district offices sa loob o malapit sa munisipyo, kapitolyo, city hall o mga hall of justice ng bawat bayan, siyudad o probinsya.

Sana ay nabigyan namin ng linaw ang iyong katanungan. Ang payong aming ibinigay ay base lamang sa impormasyon na iyong inilahad at maaaring magbago kung mababawasan o madaragdagan ang mga detalye ng iyong salaysay.

Maraming salamat sa iyong patuloy na pagtitiwala.