Cop in torture video asks court to stay his dismissal

MANILA, Philippines—Maybe he just wants a second chance.

Senior Inspector Joselito B. Binayug on Tuesday asked the Manila Regional Trial Court to prevent Director Nicanor Bartolome of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) from enforcing his earlier decision dismissing him from the service.

Binayug used to head the police precinct in Asuncion, Tondo, but he was relieved of his post last year after a video showing a policeman torturing a detainee inside the station was shown on television. The policeman was believed to be Binayug.

On January 14, Bartolome issued a resolution dismissing Binayug from the service for violating the Anti-Torture Act of 2009. He also denied the motion for reconsideration filed by the police official.

In his petition, Binayug claimed that even though his motion for reconsideration had yet to be resolved, Bartolome was already announcing his dismissal from the service to reporters, a sign that the latter had made up his mind.

He asked the court to nullify the NCRPO chief’s decision because it was “contrary to law.”

Binayug also alleged that Bartolome “committed grave abuse of discretion amounting to excess or lack of jurisdiction when he deliberately, out of passion and prejudice, ignored the law and procedure in the admission of video footage as evidence” without proper authentication.

“It is common knowledge that [a] video recording can be spliced easily to suit the needs of a particular user,” he told the court.