Dear PAO,
My neighbor filed a police blotter against me. She fabricated a story alleging that I have been harassing her. Sadly, I was not given any opportunity to controvert her lies. Now, I am planning to apply for work. Will this police blotter affect my chances of being hired, considering that I now supposedly have a criminal record at the police station?
Alexandra
Dear Alexandra,
No, the police blotter will not affect your chances of employment.
In Valderas v. Sulse (GR 205659, March 9, 2022, Ponente: Associate Justice Samuel Gaerlan), the Supreme Court ruled that a police blotter does not automatically constitute a criminal incident or criminal record, saying:
“A police blotter is a book which records criminal incidents reported to the police. It contains the daily registry of all crime incident reports, official summaries of arrest, and other significant events reported in a police station. Jurisprudence holds that entries in the police blotter should not be given undue significance or probative value as they are not evidence of the truth of their contents but merely of the fact that they were recorded. Such entries are usually incomplete and inaccurate, sometimes from either partial suggestions or for want of suggestions or inquiries.
“A police blotter is not minutes of the events that happened within the four corners of a police station. Neither is it a journal that records whatever any person desires to be recorded. As an official police document, a police blotter must only contain the matters which are provided for in its definition — criminal incidents, official summaries of arrest, and other significant events reported to the police.”
Thus, it should be emphasized that police blotter is not equivalent to a criminal record. Police blotter merely contains narration of events reported to the police station. Entries therein are not evidence of truth since, more often than not, such entries are one-sided stories which did not endure judicial or legal scrutiny. As explained above, narrations in the police blotter should not be given undue significance or probative value as they are not evidence of truth of their contents but merely the fact that they were recorded. They do not constitute conclusive proof. Hence, any records in a police blotter should not affect your chances of employment.
We hope that we were able to answer your queries. This advice was based solely on the facts you have narrated and our appreciation of the same. Our opinion may vary when other facts are changed or elaborated.
Thank you for your continued trust and support.
Editor’s note: Dear PAO is a daily column of the Public Attorney’s Office. Questions for Chief Acosta may be sent to dearpao@manilatimes.net
