Atty Claire Castro--my kind of lawyer

I don't know what others think, but I admire what Atty. Claire Castro did last night. Castro spent time in jail after she reportedly engaged a police officer in an argument over the illegal arrest and detention of her client, a certain Chua. Castro went to the Manila Police District (MPD) after she found out that MPD cops arrested Chua without any arrest warrant while Chua was talking with his estranged wife. Chua went to the meeting with the understanding that his former partner went there to amicably settle the issue of custody of their common child. Instead, Chua landed in jail. Castro said, what the cops did was a form of frame up, because there was still no case filed against her client.

Castro is right. It is an elementary principle in the arrest of any person that such arrests be covered by a warrant issued by a court. No arrests shall be made without such warrants.

Of course, our laws provide for warrantless arrests, such as when a crime is being committed or was committed. I don't know about you, but is it a crime to talk with your partner to settle in an amicable manner a domestic issue such as custody of a child? I know of no such crime in our statutes.

Besides, even if the cops front a defense, saying that Chua committed kidnapping (since I think the kid was a product of an illegitimate relationship), the cops should have filed the case first and should have waited for the issuance of a warrant before doing what they did.

Hey, MPD cops, we are not under martial law. And even if we are, still, warrants are requisites for someone's arrest and detention.

And it is well within the rights of Castro, who is a fearless lawyer of note, to protest the illegal arrest and detention of her client. As they say, when you witness an injustice, it is your duty to protest and shout it out loud. That's what Claire Castro did.

We need people like Atty. Claire Castro. MPD release her immediately now!

I am appealing to my friend, PNP chief Marquez--investigate and mete the proper punishment to your men who committed this shameful crime against a co-officer of the law.