Karapatan: Probe death of curfew violator in Cavite

Human rights group Karapatan on Monday called for an immediate investigation on the reported death of a male curfew violator in General Trias City, Cavite province, who allegedly died after he was forced to undergo a body pumping exercise 300 times before he was freed.

In a statement on Monday, Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay said they were “distressed” by the report circulating on social media, and if it were true, it should be investigated as “possible violations of the antitorture law, among others.”

Earlier, League of Filipino Students-University of the Philippines Los Baños (LFS-UPLB) reported on its Facebook page the death of Darren Manaog, whose age was not provided, who was allegedly subjected by policemen in General Trias to more than 300 strenuous body pumping as punishment after allegedly violating curfew hours.

Quoting supposed information from the victim’s family, LFS-UPLB claimed Manaog was about to buy water when he was arrested by policemen on Maundy Thursday. Manaog was allowed to return home in the morning of Good Friday but had a convulsion, went into a coma, and died around 10 p.m. on the same day, the group said.

Cavite province, now under the strictest enhanced community quarantine status to curb the rise of COVID-19 cases, imposes curfew hours from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Police denies claims

In a phone interview, Police Lt. Col. Marlo Celero, General Trias police chief, denied local policemen were involved, saying they had no record on the arrest of one Darren Manaog as quarantine violator on the night of April 1.

“Upon our investigation, we found out that one Darren Peñaredondo was arrested not by policemen but by barangay tanod (watchmen) in Barangay Tejero on Thursday night,” Celero said.

He said they would investigate to find the truth behind the claim. An Adrian Luceña, the source of the LFS-UPLB information, claimed on his Facebook page that his “Kuya Darren Manaog” was arrested by policemen on Thursday night and was made to go through the strenuous exercise.

He said Manaog returned home at 8 a.m. the next day and could barely walk.

The source of the LFS-UPLB Facebook post was Panday Sining Cavite which, in turn, took it from Luceña’s post. Both have not responded to requests for interview.