FORMER Philippine National Police chief Nicholas Torre III on Thursday took to social media to defend due process, warning against judging respondents through online appearances, after the heated confrontation between Napolcom Commissioner Rafael Vicente Calinisan and a police officer during a public briefing.
Torre, who now serves as general manager of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), posted a video of the heated discourse and said the most important consideration in any complaint is ensuring a fair and impartial process.
“It is important to know who is right in a complaint. It is also important to know whether the complainant or the police officer being complained against is telling the truth. But at this point, what is most important is the process,” Torre said.
He emphasized that complaints should be investigated, evidence weighed, and facts established before conclusions are reached.
“The purpose of the process is to find the truth — not to confirm a prior belief,” he said.
Torre issued the statement a day after Calinisan figured in a heated exchange with Cpl. Simeon Suan during a Napolcom press conference concerning the viral arrest of a 76-year-old motorist in Taguig City.
During the briefing, Suan accused Calinisan of using him to gain media attention and appealed for due process, saying he had not fully explained his side of the incident.
The confrontation drew public attention after both men exchanged sharp remarks before other officers intervened.
Without naming Calinisan, Torre said an investigator should not appear to have already formed a judgment before an inquiry is completed.
He warned that when a respondent appears to have been judged before being fully heard, the credibility of the investigative process itself may suffer.
Torre said the campaign against erring police officers remains important but should never come at the expense of fairness, objectivity, impartiality, and due process.
“No one should be convicted through a press conference,” he said.
