Eight Navotas City police officers are facing complaints for allegedly torturing two murder suspects they took into custody, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said.
At a press briefing in Camp Crame on Wednesday, PNP public information chief Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño withheld the names of the officers but said there were four staff sergeants, a master sergeant, a corporal, and two patrolmen.
‘A complaint was filed against them last Nov. 20. The cases filed against them were [for] grave misconduct, serious irregularity in the performance of their duty, conduct unbecoming of a police officer, and the Anti-Torture Act,’ Tuaño explained.
‘This stemmed from their arrest of the two complainants, during which they were allegedly tortured by the said police of Navotas,’ he added.
Tuaño said the suspects were arrested by the police officers last Nov. 8 over a fatal shooting incident in Barangay Bangkalusi five days earlier.
A police report from the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) identified the suspects as 40-year-old driver-mechanic ‘Michael’ and 25-year-old fisherman ‘Arren,’ while the victims they allegedly shot dead were 41-year-old driver ‘Arcie’ and 43-year-old businessman ‘Olan.’
In an interview with reporters later on Wednesday, the arrested suspects’ legal counsel lawyer Cid Stephen Andeza claimed the alleged torture took place inside the office of the Navotas City Police Station intelligence section.
‘They were being hit on the feet and tied up at their hands and feet, and their heads were covered with plastic so they couldn’t breathe,’ Andeza explained.
The PNP public information chief noted that the two suspects, through their legal counsel, have forwarded the matter to the Internal Affairs Service (IAS) and the Navotas City Police Station.
‘The police officers said they will answer the complaints lodged against them, and they say, as a defense, that this is harassment over their arrest of the two suspects,’ he said.
For its part, in a statement later on Wednesday, the IAS said, ‘The individuals have yet to execute sworn statements due to fear within the detention facility, and arrangements are underway to obtain their testimonies in a secure setting.’
‘We take all allegations of abuse seriously and will ensure a thorough and impartial investigation. The IAS remains committed to upholding accountability and protecting the rights of every person under police custody,’ IAS Inspector-General Atty. Brigido Dulay said in the statement.
The IAS further said it requested the full case records from its NCR, which is also conducting a parallel inquiry.
The Navotas City Police Station, however, stood by its personnel, maintaining in a statement later on Wednesday that the arrest of the two suspects was ‘conducted lawfully’ and that the suspects had ‘no signs of injury, trauma or physical abuse’ as indicated in their medical certificate.
It claimed the allegations against the eight officers were an ‘attempt to undermine the integrity of the investigation and escape criminal liability.’
‘We view these allegations as a diversionary attempt that amounts to a form of harassment, unfairly maligning police personnel and obstructing their lawful performance of duty,’ the Navotas police said.
‘The Navotas City Police Station expresses full cooperation with the Internal Affairs Service. We welcome any impartial investigation to establish the truth and reaffirm the lawful conduct of our personnel,’ it added. /cb/abc