Palace defers to PNP on Olivar bomb scare case

“Ang (Their) latest pronouncement nila is General Eleazar might hold him (Olivar) responsible for what he did,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a Palace briefing. (File Photo: Andrew Olivar/Facebook)

MANILA — Malacañang is counting on the Philippine National Police (PNP) to address the filing of charges against pro-Duterte blogger Drew Olivar for spreading a bomb scare on social media.

PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde earlier said Olivar will be facing charges for violating Presidential Decree 1727 or the “Anti-Bomb Joke Law” but did not elaborate which cases will be filed.

Meanwhile, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar said they will file charges as soon as possible.

Under the law, anyone who will make a bomb joke may face a fine of not more than PHP40,000.

He or she may also be imprisoned for not more than five years, depending on the court’s decision if a case is filed.

“Ang (Their) latest pronouncement nila is General Eleazar might hold him (Olivar) responsible for what he did,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a Palace briefing.

Roque said he had full trust that both Albayalde and Eleazar will deal with the matter accordingly.

“Bahala po sila diyan dahil alam naman ni General Eleazar at General Albayalde ang kanilang mga trabaho (It is up to them because General Eleazar and General Albayalde know their jobs well),” Roque said.

“I have nothing but the highest respect for both of them,” he added.

During the 46th anniversary of martial law declaration on Friday, Olivar, in a Facebook post, warned that a bombing in Edsa similar to what occurred in Plaza Miranda in 1971 might take place.

On the same day, protest rallies were held in Plaza Miranda, Mendiola and Rizal Park in the City of Manila, not on Edsa.

A day after, Olivar, together with Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson, appeared at a press conference at NCRPO headquarters in Taguig to apologize.