2 cops, Army man tagged in beating businessman

Two policemen and a technical sergeant of the Philippine Army were tagged as among those who allegedly beat a 44-year-old businessman inside a Makati City hotel last month.

Security guards of Dusit Thani Hotel who witnessed the incident on the night of Aug. 19 identified the suspects through photographs.

Sources said two sets of pictures — one with 41 photographs and the other with 56 — were used to check if hotel security personnel will point to the same persons.

The people in the gallery were not identified to ensure that witnesses will pick faces and not personalities.

Based on the photographs shown to them, hotel security guards picked two policemen from the Police Security Protection Office (PSPO) and a soldier detailed as escorts of Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) chief Antonio Villar Jr.

Sources said the police officers allegedly beat businessman Simon Paz for trying to use a comfort room while Villar was having a private talk with SPO2 Benito Peralta, PO2 Alfredo Cabanting and an army man with a technical sergeant’s rank inside.

The victim, who was discharged from the Makati Medical Center (MMC) only last Wednesday, has reportedly signified his intention to file a complaint against Villar’s men next week.