Torture video taken by recruit?

MANILA, Philippines - A police recruit may have taken the video showing a man believed to be police Senior Inspector Joselito Binayug torturing a robbery suspect at the Asuncion precinct in Tondo, Manila.

Sources alleged that Binayug was apparently showing off and did not bother to prevent the police recruit from taking the video on how to torture the robbery suspect, later identified as Darius Evangelista.

The sources claimed that the police recruit belongs to the “Pinagpala Class” of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).

After undergoing six months’ training, the police recruits were dispatched to the five police districts of the NCRPO to undertake on-the-job training (OJT) from February to July.

Some of the recruits were assigned at the Asuncion PCP when the torture of Evangelista occurred last March, the source said.

Chief Superintendent Roberto Rongavilla, officer-in-charge (OIC) of the Manila Police District (MPD) and concurrent head of Task Force Asuncion admitted that the NCRPO has such recruits belonging to the “Pinagpala” class.

After their OJT last July, the recruits were assigned at the Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB) for a year before they were deployed to the NCRPO and its five police districts.

Rongavilla, however, said Task Force Asuncion has no information that a police recruit took the torture video.

The video showed Binayug, in white shirt and shorts, torturing Evangelista inside the police precinct. The video earned worldwide condemnation.

In a Senate hearing last week, Binayug denied that he was the police officer shown in the video.

The NCRPO filed violation of the Anti-Torture Act of 2009 against Binayug and nine other policemen of the MPD before the Department of Justice (DOJ).

NCRPO chief Director Leocadio Santiago earlier ordered the relief of Superintendents Rogelio Rosales and Ernesto Tendero Jr., commanders of MPD’s Station 1 and 11, respectively, after their names cropped up during the investigation of the torture video.

Despite the denial of Binayug, Rongavilla expressed belief that they have a strong case against him and his co-accused.

Rongavilla admitted the testimony of the video taker would further tighten their case. “We can use him as our star witness,” he said.

Rongavilla warned though that if the one who took the video turned out to be a policeman, he would also be held liable for countenancing the acts of Binayug.

“If the video taker is a policeman, he would be liable because he failed in his duties and responsibility to prevent such violations,” he said.

Rongavilla said their investigation is now focused on identifying those inside the police station at the time of the torture on Evangelista as the video also showed another person using his cellphone taking the video.

The video was aired by ABS-CBN, who said a certain Emil handed the footage to them. Emil, in turn, claimed a friend gave him the video.