Daily Serving of Legal Matters

Just very recently, the Quezon City council has passed an ordinance permitting a private individual to effect an arrest on a person, even without the necessary warrant of arrest issued by the court.  The act of QC council may sound a new mechanism to most of the people, especially in the residents of the place.  However, this act is not entirely foreign in our criminal justice system.  As a matter of fact, this CITIZEN'S ARREST, was well espoused in the Revised Rules of Criminal Procedure. Section 5 of Article 113 of the above-mentioned criminal procedure provides when it is lawful to arrest without warrant.  Thus: "A peace officer or a private person may, without a warrant, arrest a person: 1.  When, in his presence, the person to be arrested has committed, is actually committing, or is attempting to commit an offense; 2.  When an offense has just been committed and he has probable cause to believe based on his personal knowledge of facts or circumstances ...

With what has been happening to It's Showtime host and comedian actor Vhong Navarro, the term CITIZEN'S ARREST becomes a household term.  It is what has the camp of Cedric Lee, Deniece Cornejo and others done to Vhong Navarro.  The latter was arrested via citizen arrest because the former allegedly rape Deniece Cornejo.