The spokesman of the Bohol Police Provincial Office (BPPO) Lt. Col. Joseph Berondo cleared the air on the issue about the surrender process by saying any person who surrenders voluntarily to authorities is considered to be arrested based on the police’s protocol.
He made the statement in his radio interview over “Open Forum, Bukas Nga Panagsultihay”, hosted by Ardy Araneta-Batoy and Gloria Leodivica Araneta on Feb. 8, 2023.
Berondo said: “Ang arrested ug voluntary surrender, Ma’am Ardy (referring to Ardy Batoy) lahi lahi gyud ni. Dako kining kalainan. But when it comes to [the case of] sa usa ka tawo nga nakabalo sya nga aduna syay warrant, warrant of arrest, ug boluntaryo siya niadto sa police station for him or for her, it is called voluntary surrender.”
He then added: “But sa atoang protocol maski pa ug nisurrender ka with warrant of arrest, ang status nimu ana is arrested.”
Berondo said that it doesn’t mean that after the voluntary surrender, one can simply go home and there will be no processing involved. Any person who surrenders is taken into custody by the police, he added. Thus, the suspect deemed to be arrested through voluntary surrender.
To recall, a person alleged to be a member of the communist – terrorist group (CTG) was reportedly arrested in Bilar last Feb. 1, 2023 for 7 counts of attempted homicide.
However, Maria Ira Pamat, the attempted homicide suspect, asserted that she voluntarily surrendered to the authorities to prove her innocence and in order to post bail. The police reflected in its spot report about the incident and the report said that they [the police] arrested the suspect.