Mark Anthony Fernandez is now currently under the custody of Angeles City Police Station. This was due to a 1-kilogram block of illegal narcotics that was found inside his bag, which is openly exposed outside upon random checkpoint inspection. When Mark Anthony was confronted by the police, he accelerated his car away from the checkpoint that has led to his arrest. He is now awaiting trial for his case for violating the Republic Act 9165, which is a non-bailable offense in his case because he was caught with a large amount of a prohibited substance.
But before detaining him, there is another issue that is now circulating online. This was when a photo of him along with the two policewomen who took a photo of him before they detained him in the police station. The two lady policewomen were in their uniform when they took pictures of male celebrity Mark Anthony Fernandez. They seem awkward as their favorite male celebrity stood at the center between the two ladies from the photograph. The photo originated from Nathan Hatchero Azarcon from his Facebook account and is now gaining tens of thousands of views, comments, and shares online.
Lady cops with Mark Anthony Fernandez that dismays Ronald Dela Rosa |
The photo was uploaded just days after Mark Anthony Fernandez was arrested for illegally possessing a substance that is illegal under the Philippine law. Out of curiosity, netizens started sharing the photo of male celebrity actor along with the two policewomen in uniform at his side before detaining him. Mixed reactions then started to pile up with the photo being uploaded and then shared to various social media websites online.
As for the positive side, netizens were still optimistic that the photo shows Mark Anthony Fernandez's cool reaction while being photographed. His fans were amazed on how he is handling the situation even if he is now facing criminal charges by the police who brought him to Angeles City Police. Other netizens mentioned from their comments that this is a normal scenario for a very famous celebrity who is arrested for a certain violation.
However, there were netizens who draw flak with the circulating photos of the two policewomen in uniform before detaining Mark Anthony Fernandez. They indicate that there is a biased treatment between a normal citizen and a celebrity. Some are disappointed because it shows that a well-known individual is treated differently than an ordinary citizen caught violating certain rules. In this case, the issue is unjustifiable.
Both negative and positive comments from various netizens with a different point of view are now circulating on social media websites. Netizens are just wondering if the actions of the two policewomen by taking pictures of their favorite celebrity and posting it online are legal. This is because there were a previous legal and ethical issues concerning with the past government personnel who are taking photos of their celebrity clients and then posting it on their personal social media account that is causing an ethical concern.
However, Philippine National Police Chief Ronald Dela Rosa is now dismayed by the photos of the two lady cops who took pictures of their favorite male celebrity. This cites that there is a double standard with regards to handling an offender of the law. Ronald Dela Rosa understands that the lady cops were overwhelmed by the presence of an arrested celebrity but their actions could face legal consequences.
Ronald Dela Rosa is dismayed because he does not want the public to have a false impression of a law enforcement actions for taking a picture with a criminal offender. He indicated that as a law enforcer, no one should be treated differently regardless of their socio-economic lifestyle or their celebrity status in public.
This means that the lady cops could face administrative charges due to the photos that went viral over the internet. They can be either suspended for several weeks due to the photo that is now circulating online, sparking attention to internet users.