Probe of MPD ‘torture cops’ starts

Anthony Vargas

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Police (PNP) has begun investigating eleven members of the Manila Police District (MPD) linked to the torture of a robbery suspect at their station in Manila’s Tondo district.

The incident was captured on video with a cellular phone by an informant who gave the footage to television network ABS-CBN, which aired it Tuesday night, triggering public outrage.

The 11 personnel of the Asuncion community precinct, led by Senior Inspector Joselito Binayug, were relieved by Director Leocadio Santiago, chief of the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO), immediately after the footage went public.

They have also been placed under prevention suspension at MPD headquarters while being investigated by Task Force Asuncion under Chief Superintendent Roberto Rongavilla, NCRPO deputy chief for administration.

“They have to answer (for) this. The accused (policemen) will have to submit their counter-affidavits and they will have to defend themselves,” Rongavilla said during Friday’s regular police-media forum in Camp Crame.

Binayug has already denied he was the man shown beating a naked man and pulling a rope tied to the victim’s genitals in the video.

But Rongavilla said: ““A lot of people have confirmed that it was Binayug in the video, so it’s probably him.”

He added that three more complainants have come to their office to accuse Binayug of past human rights abuses. Aside from this, he said, Binayug is also facing charges for a murder he allegedly committed last year.

Police assured the family of the victim that there would be no whitewash in the investigation of incident.

“We have the law and we have procedures. We are continuously consulting our lawyers about this,” Rongavilla said.

PNP spokesman Senior Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr. said Director General Jesus Versoza wants the case resolved and those proven guilty punished immediately.

“The policemen will also be facing administrative charges, they can be charged for grave misconduct…this is punishable by dismissal from the service” and loss of all their benefits, Cruz said in a phone interview.

Verzosa has ordered Binayug and the other policemen involved in the case to under re-training and neuro-psychiatric evaluation.