RETIRED Air Force Gen. Romeo Poquiz was arrested Monday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 upon his arrival from Bangkok, Thailand, on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 77 for charges of inciting to sedition filed by the Department of Justice.
The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP) earlier reported the plan for the arrest of Poquiz, a vocal critic of the Marcos administration and founder of the United People’s Initiative (UPI).
The charges stem from his alleged urging of active military members to withdraw support from the government.
He was brought to Camp Karingal for processing, then to the RTC Branch 77 for bail posting.
‘Totally atrocious’
Lawyer Ferdie Topacio denounced Poquiz’s arrest, saying he was not even allowed time with his client.
“Totally atrocious! We were barred from conferring with our client. Sobrang garapal naman! (They were too flagrant),” he said in Filipino and English.
Poquiz and his group participated in anti-corruption rallies during the Sept. 21 and Nov. 30 protests.
Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner admitted to have met with Poquiz and his group to discuss their grievances, which were mostly against the Marcos administration.
Poquiz, in later interviews, denied that he was calling for the ouster of the president, but rather only encouraging the military to speak up on the issue of corruption.
A Quezon City trial court judge on Monday set the arraignment and pre-trial for Poquiz for Jan. 14, after the retired general posted bail.
Accompanied by his counsel, Poquiz showed up before Judge Renato Pambid, of Regional Trial City-Branch 77, to post bail amounting to P48,000.
As a result, the judge directed the concerned law enforcement agencies, particularly the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, to release Poquiz from police custody.
