MANILA, Philippines – The 3 lawyers arrested for monitoring the raid of the Time in Manila bar in Makati City are no longer attorneys for the owner of the bar.

“Our temporary engagement as counsel for the owner of Time bar to monitor the search has ceased as of the past week, and all we say and do now will be in our capacity as lawyers for JV, RB, and Lenie,” stated a Facebook post of Diane Desierto, senior partner of the firm where the 3 attorneys work for.

The post has since been taken down as of Wednesday noon, August 22.

Desierto did not elaborate, but the bar has been a source of stress for the firm. (READ: Arrest of lawyers in Makati bar ‘very grave cause for concern’ – IBP)

Who are the lawyers? Jan Vincent Soliven, Lenie Rocel Rocha, and Romulo Bernard Alarkon of the Desierto & Desierto law firm were sent to monitor the Time in Manila bar raid last August 16.

Cops arrested them after they allegedly failed to introduce themselves and their client immediately even after taking photos and videos of the raid, and also allegedly “harassing” raiding cops.

The lawyers only identified a certain “Mr Server” seconds before they were handcuffed. (WATCH: Videos show arrest of lawyers in Makati bar raid)

Cops said the lawyers were only able to secure a written certification stating that they represented a certain Burton Josept Server as their client hours after the arrest.

What cases do they face? Cops filed complaints for obstruction of justice, disorder and disobedience, illegal crossing of police lines, and “constructive possession” of illegal drugs against the lawyers.

The Makati bar arrest has been a hot topic in legal and police circles, with people from both sides pointing out mistakes committed by both the lawyers and the cops. (READ: What did lawyers, police do wrong in Makati bar raid?)

The owners of the bar, meanwhile, are expected to face drug complaints as cops recovered sachets of shabu, kush, and cocaine from back-to-back raids of their establishment. – Rappler.com