Wear ID at police stations, top cop tells journalists

By JUN ARIOLO N. AGUIRRE
KALIBO, Aklan - The Philippine National Police (PNP) here urged journalists to always wear their identification cards when entering police stations.
This is a security measure, stressed Kalibo police chief Supt. Arnold Ardiente. He said insurgents planning to attack police stations could pose as journalists, too.
Ardiente made the call during the whole day seminar on Media-PNP Relations yesterday at Camp Pastor Martelino here. He discussed the guidelines on releasing of information on crimes among the members of the Aklan Police Defense Press Corps.
"Your wearing of proper identification cards will assure us that we are dealing with legitimate members of the media,” Ardiente explained to the participating journalists.
“We just want to avoid insurgents disguising as media men but are actually spying on us,” he added.
Ardiente cited reports that the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) is deploying hit squads in Western Visayas ready to liquidate police officers or army soldiers.
"We want to be always on alert for any possible attacks,” he stressed.
The Kalibo PNP is also set to appoint a spokesman for each municipal police station to deal with the media. This aims to make sure that only the proper information are given to the press.
“We also ask media organizations to inform us if there are changes in their assignment of journalists in police stations so we will know whom to deal with,” Ardiente said.