How Sen. Jinggoy Estrada was arrested on Monday, June 1, is now appearing to be a blueprint of implementation of arrest warrants in the Senate by the Philippine National Police (PNP).

And with at least three more senators facing a case of plunder before the Office of the Ombudsman, that blueprint is indeed necessary.

On Tuesday, PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr. commended the operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), for what he described as peaceful and orderly arrest of Estrada inside the Senate.

While there were some glitches that include a confrontation between Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla and Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, the operation went well until Estrada was brought to his destination at the New Quezon City Jail in Barangay Payatas in Quezon City.

Netizens also lauded the PNP for how the policemen stood firm in implementing the arrest warrant without fear or favor.

Nartatez said what happened at the Senate on Monday is proof that compliance with legal orders is the safest path for all parties involved.

“By prioritizing professionalism and the rule of law, we achieved a smooth process that benefited both sides, completely avoiding unnecessary confrontation while fully upholding the dignity of our legal system,” said Nartatez.

“This is how professional law enforcement works,” he added.

The smooth transition was a stark contrast to other high-profile fugitives who chose to evade authorities and hide from the law instead of facing the judicial system, according to the PNP.

Those high-profile personalities include Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, a law enforcer before he became a lawmaker as a senator.

For Nartatez, facing the charges head on is the only best option.

“The PNP operates strictly on legal frameworks, meaning no individual is above the law, regardless of rank or title. We remain focused on our mandate of locating and arresting all those in the fugitives list,” said Nartatez.

Broken trust

The blueprint on how to arrest a senator was also what Remulla wanted to follow following an incident when Dela Rosa took advantage of the Senate protective custody to escape an arrest warrant that was supposed to earn him a free staycation in Netherlands—courtesy of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

During the Senate confrontation, Remulla made it a point that he no longer trusts the Senate in putting a person under its custody to what observers described as embarrassing Bato experience.

When Cayetano was insisting to walk Estrada out of the Senate where arrest should be made, Remulla rejected the plea and insisted on implementing the arrest warrant.

“Sir, the last person you put in custody has escaped,” Remulla told Cayetano.

And for Remulla, the coordination will remain as a way of respecting the Senate as an institution but when it comes to protective custody, he said there will be no more.

“We will inform them. We will give them the courtesy. But if there's an arrest to be made, we will make the arrest,” said Remulla.