Torture roulette: What went before

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/CHR

In January, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) released a report about a secret facility in Biñan City, Laguna province, where crime suspects are being tortured.

With the report was a picture of a “torture roulette” that policemen allegedly used to determine what kind of torture to subject detainees to.

Like in a game show, detainees (mostly drug suspects) are punched if the roulette stopped at “20 seconds Manny Pacman,” referring to the nickname of boxer Manny Pacquiao. If the roulette stopped at “30-second bat,” the detainee would be hung upside down.

After the release of the report, the Laguna police intelligence branch vacated the house it was renting, a 200-square-meter bungalow that served as a “satellite office” since last year.

The “unauthorized” lockup cell, managed by the Laguna police intelligence branch, was immediately shut down.

Twelve policemen have been relieved while undergoing investigation in connection with the wheel of torture allegations.

In February, the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon provinces) police found probable cause to file charges against 10 policemen and their two commanding officers involved in the torture of crime suspects in the secret detention facility.

Senior Supt. Fausto Manzanilla, chief of the Regional Investigation, Detection and Management Division, said  probable cause was determined based on the affidavits of the detainees who said they were tortured while in the custody of the police intelligence branch.

Manzanilla said some of the detainees bore bruises while others claimed extortion by the policemen. However, he said they did not find the roulette, pictures of which were released to the media since the CHR report came out. Inquirer Research

Source: Inquirer Archives