PNP dared to present alleged torture victim

Incoming Commission on Human Rights (CHR) chairwoman Loretta "Etta" Rosales on Friday challenged the Philippine National Police (PNP) to produce the supposed robbery suspect caught on video being tortured in a community police precinct. "Dead or alive, the Manila Police District has to produce the victim," said Rosales, a three-term party-list congresswoman, who President Benigno Simeon Aquino III named on Wednesday as the new CHR head. The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) on Thursday confirmed that the cellphone video was shot inside the Asuncion police community precinct (PCP) in Manila's Tondo district. "They have already identified the police official involved as Senior Supt. Joselito Binayug, so now they have to surface the torture victim," said Rosales, herself a torture victim during the martial law era. Binayug and all his subordinates were relieved from their posts as the National Police Commission (Napolcom) and the Office of the Ombudsman conduct separate investigation to determine the lawmen's administrative and criminal liabilities. Binayug had refused to comment on the allegations hurled against him, saying he would only speak up in the proper forum, earlier reports said. Rosales said that if found out that the victim in the video had died, the police officials embroiled in the controversy would be slapped with more charges. "It wouldn't just be a violation of the anti-torture law. It would be murder," Rosales said. "We urge PNP Director General Jesus Verzosa to act with prompt in investigating the case and in imposing sanctions against the abusive policemen involved," she said. Apart from the CHR and the Napolcom's efforts, police have already created "Task Force Asuncion" to conduct a separate probe on the matter. Leads on video origin Amid efforts at solving the case, Chief Superintendent Leocadio dela Cruz, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, revealed that his team has leads on who is in possession of the original copy of the "torture video." However, Dela Cruz refused to give further details, saying they were still "in the process of verification." He said they wanted to make sure first that the video they would be obtaining is the actual original copy so that the court would accept it as evidence against the suspects. "Kapag ipine-present natin iyan sa court, hindi admissible as evidence iyan [copy of the torture video]. Pero puwedeng maging admissible kung makuha ang original at mag-testimonya ang kumuha," Dela Cruz said. Dela Cruz cited previous experiences when the court did not accept video presented by the police because it was not an authentic copy. "Ayaw naman natin na nag-iimbestiga tayo tapos hindi rin tatanggapin ng korte. Lalabas niyan hindi maganda ang imahe ng pulis," he said. — LBG, GMANews.TV