Tondo ‘torture cop’ dismissed from police service – PNP

(Updated 1:54 a.m. Jan. 14) The police officer implicated in the torture and disappearance of a suspected criminal has been dismissed from police service, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Thursday. Senior Inspector Joselito Binayug has been removed from the force after the PNP’s Internal Affairs Service (IAS) junked last week the motion for reconsideration on his dismissal, said PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr. “The chief PNP, Director General Raul Bacalzo, said that a policeman like Senior Inspector Binayug has no place in the police organization," Cruz told reporters. Binayug, former precinct commander of the Asuncion Police Community Precinct in Manila, gained notoriety in August last year after he was named as the police officer who was caught on video torturing a suspected thief who was never seen again. The video showed a cop pulling a string attached to the groin area of the naked victim, who screamed and twitched every time the string was pulled. Binayug and the entire Asuncion Police Community Precinct roster were relieved from their posts following the incident. Nine policemen, including Binayug, were also charged with violations of the Anti-Torture Act of 2009. The case is now pending before the Department of Justice. (See: 'Torture cops' face raps; Binayug named prime suspect) Binayug denied that he was the man shown in the video. After being dismissed from service, Binayug will be stripped off all his benefits as a policeman except for his accrued and unpaid leaves, according to Cruz. “This is just a proof that we do not tolerate wrongdoings in the organization, specifically those issues involving violation of human rights," he said. Bacalzo worried over rogue cops In the past several months, the PNP has repeatedly come under fire after several of its members were implicated in high-profile criminal offenses such as kidnap-for-ransom activities, murder, rape and drug use. These cases were in addition to the Manila hostage fiasco in August 2010, which inflicted ugly bruises on the morale and reputation, not only of the PNP that botched the assault against hostage taker and dismissed cop Rolando Mendoza, but of the fledgling Aquino administration as a whole. In September last year, Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission accused Pampanga policemen of torturing at least five men for their alleged involvement with the Marxist Leninist Party of the Philippines-Rebolusyonaryong Hukbo ng Bayan (MLPP-RHB), an illegal armed group. (See: HK-based rights group: Cops torture 5 in Pampanga HQ) Last December, PO2 Roger Bacanto was arrested while his three colleagues are currently being tracked down after allegedly being involved in a kidnap-for-ransom incident in Caloocan City. (See: Cop nabbed, 3 other lawmen hunted for Caloocan kidnap) Three Quezon City policemen meanwhile were among the eight were charged with murder and attempted kidnapping, among others, for the failed kidnapping of an Indian national and the killing of his two companions, also in December last year. (See: Raps filed vs 3 cops, 5 others for kidnap try, murder) The PNP is likewise currently investigating Inspector Bernardo Castro who shot dead his superior, Talavera town police chief Superintendent Ricardo Dayag, in Nueva Ecija on New Year’s day. (See: New Year's Day fratricide: Police chief killed by deputy in Nueva Ecija) Most recently, the Manila Police District has offered a P100,000 reward for the arrest of PO3 Antonio Bautista Jr., who was accused by a female vendor of raping her inside the MPD headquarters. (See: MPD offers P100K for cop wanted for 'rape') In the light of this recent string of incidents, no less than PNP chief Director General Raul Bacalzo admitted being worried over cases of abuse involving police officers in past weeks. (See: Worried PNP chief orders book thrown at abusive cops) Bacalzo said they are working on long-term and short-term solutions – starting with the arrest and prosecution of erring cops. "In the last six weeks, we have seen many of our own men involved in at least eight index crimes. This is a cause for worry, and our National Headquarters will analyze the incidents and come up with appropriate measures," Bacalzo said in an earlier interview.- With Jerrie M. Abella/KBK/JV, GMANews.TV