ABS-CBNNews.com reports that Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Nicanor Bartolome, in a statement, said that the alleged mugshots of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that were published by some media outfits are not the authentic photos that were taken during her mandatory booking procedure last Saturday for her poll sabotage case.

Bartolome made the statement despite the fact that acting Southern Police District (SPD) Director Senior Superintendent James Bucayu had already confirmed that the published mugshots were authentic. In fact, an Interaksyon.com article posted on Tuesday, November 22, had revealed: "Senior Superintendent James Bucayu of the Southern Police District said the mugshots are real but stressed that the source of it, supposedly a member of the police, will be reprimanded."

However, in the ABS-CBNNews.com report, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) claimed that  "only 7 people—Arroyo, her husband Mike Arroyo, son Albay Rep. Dato Arroyo, a former Arroyo Cabinet secretary and three personnel from the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)—were present when the former president's mugshots were taken."

The DILG statement pointed out that Bucayu was not around when the booking photos were taken. The report, however, did not say how Bucayu is reacting to this allegation.

Deputy Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte, in a press briefing held on Tuesday (November 22), also said that the published GMA mugshots are not genuine.

For more on this story, log on to ABS-CBNNews.com and Interaksyon.com.