IT WAS a usual Wednesday night of fun and drinks for the strip of bars along Esteban Abada Street last September 13, when officers from the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) showed up for a surprise inspection under Oplan Bakal, the Philippine National Police’s program to stop the proliferation of firearms.
According to an eyewitness who asked not to be named, the police set up a checkpoint near 7-Eleven before proceeding to enter Lan Kwai Fong, Jeepney Bistro, and then Tortuga for an inspection.
“Nilapitan lang nila ‘yung mga customer tapos pinatayo nila, tapos chineck ‘yung mga bag… ‘Yun na, umalis na sila, wala na silang sinabi (They approached the customers, made them stand up, and checked their bags…That’s it, and then they left without another word),” said Jeepney Bistro waiter Jonard Macawili.
Although they were not informed beforehand of the operation that took place that night, Jeepney Bistro manager Jenelyn Alere said this was already the third time it has happened.
A Tortuga employee who was present during the incident assured that the police were courteous and that no harassment occurred.
“Nagtanong naman muna sila bago sila pumasok. Sabi ko, ‘para saan?’ ‘Check lang, para sa safety ng community rin natin’ (They asked permission before they went inside. I asked, ‘what for?’ [and they said] ‘Just checking, for the safety of our community),” he recounted.
“Sabi naman ng police, inform mo muna ‘yung mga customer, baka kasi ma-shock sila… Okay naman din sa kanila… Hiningi rin permiso nila kung puwedeng i-check ‘yung bag. ‘Di naman hahawakan, titignan lang, sila mismo magbubukas so wala namang harassment. Nakita ko rin, magagalang ‘yong mga pulis,” he added.
(The police said to inform the customers first because they might get shocked, and it turned out to be okay with them. [The police] also asked permission to check the bags. They didn’t touch them, they just looked at them, [and the customers] themselves opened the bags so there wasn’t any harassment. I saw it myself, the police were courteous.)
In an interview with Rappler, QCPD Chief Superintendent Guillermo Eleazar said it was the barangay officials themselves who requested for the operation.
According to him, they were given the prior consent of the establishments through the association of bar owners in Katipunan.
However, in a statement released on their respective Facebook pages, Lan Kwai Speakeasy & Hong Kong Cuisine and Tortuga denied the existence of such association and clarified that no prior coordination was made with the police. Nevertheless, the statements also read that they complied to checks when the police came as the bars are public establishments.
“Tortuga would like to clarify that there is no association of bar owners in Katipunan (but we are all friends), and there was no coordination between surrounding establishments and the QCPD to search students and customers of Tortuga,” read Tortuga’s statement.
“However, we recognize that bars and restaurants are public spaces which are within police jurisdiction to search unannounced, so we comply with all government regulations and checks,” read Lan Kwai’s statement.
Lan Kwai also advised customers to “remain vigilant” and to “know your rights” during these times, reminding everyone that bag inspections and body searches can only be done with consent.
As stated in the PNP’s own primer regarding citizen’s rights, when a police officer approaches an individual to conduct a spot check, the officer is bound by the following rules:
- He/She should clearly identify himself/herself as a police officer, if not in uniform, by announcing his/her identity and displaying official identification card and/or badge.
- He/She should be courteous at all times and confine his questions regarding your identity, place of residence, and other inquiries necessary to resolve his/her suspicions and not hold you longer than is reasonably necessary.
- He/She cannot compel you to answer any questions posed during the spot check/accosting.
- He/She cannot arrest you on the grounds that you failed or refused to respond to his questions.
Tortuga also mentioned in its statement that it, along with other establishments such as Walrus and Lan Kwai, will soon be putting up posters on how to handle police inspections.
Considering that many customers of these bars are Ateneans, some on social media have also noted how the incident happened just hours after the Ateneo Blue Babble Batallion’s UAAP halftime performance where they protested against extrajudicial killings.
Just last month, the Ateneo community also raised concerns regarding police presence at an anti-EJK rally in Gate 2.5. In a statement released by University President Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ after their dialogue with the QCPD, the police promised that “they will remind their people to maintain good public relations with the community.” Villarin also urged the Ateneans to “remain calm, vigilant and prudent.”
Meanwhile, the four school representatives of the Sanggunian have also released a memorandum today urging the student body to exercise “vigilance” and “good judgement” along Katipunan Avenue and beyond campus borders.
As of writing, Barangay Loyola Heights, which has reportedly asked for the search, has not been available for comment.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a developing story. We will add more updates to this article as they come.
ERRATUM: An earlier version of this article identified one of the establishments as Lan Kwai Fong, and has now been edited to its proper name Lan Kwai Speakeasy & Hong Kong Cuisine. We apologize for the oversight.
