MANILA, Philippines?A brother and a sister of Trinidad Arteche-Etong were arrested separately by police Thursday evening at the New Era General Hospital in Quezon City, where Etong, the wife of broadcaster Ted Failon, remains in critical condition after being shot in the head Wednesday.

Maximo Arteche Maximo Arteche was whisked out of the hospital in handcuffs by policemen who took him to Quezon City Police District (QCPD) headquarters at Camp Karingal.

Lawyer and former assemblyman Homobono Adaza, who was visiting Faylon, said Maximo was arrested when he tried to ?protect? his sister Pamela from being taken to the Quezon City prosecutor?s office for inquest proceedings on obstruction of justice charges.

The charge against Pamela and other members of the Failon household were for allegedly tampering with evidence. Police also said they would be charged for not reporting the shooting of Trinidad immediately.

The Failon family maintains that Trinidad tried to kill herself but police are not ruling out foul play.

A few minutes after Maximo was taken away, Pamela emerged from the hospital with her lawyer Arnold Perez, who was protesting the lack of a warrant for her arrest, and an unidentified woman dressed in red who police said was also under arrest.

Adaza said when members of the QCPD criminal detection and investigation unit (CIDU) arrived to take Pamela away, she became hysterical.

He said things worsened when the police also reiterated a request to perform a paraffin test on Trinidad and when Maximo tried to stop the lawmen from taking his sister away.

By the time Pamela emerged from the hospital, she was silent.

Failon, who police had earlier said would be taken to Camp Karingal, remained, as of posting time, inside the intensive care unit where his wife is confined with a ?battery of lawyers,? Adaza said.