AI report says torture by cops on the rise in PH; Senate calls for probe

An Amnesty International (AI) report which says that the number of police-related torture cases during investigation is on the rise in the Philippines has prompted Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, chairman of the Senate Justice and Human Rights Committee, to call for a public hearing on the matter.

Pimentel noted that even in the presence of Republic Act 9745, the Anti-Torture Act of 2009, “no one has been convicted in a Philippine court as perpetrators and (the perpetrators) continue to act with impunity.”

He pointed out that despite the law’s enactment 5 years ago, “torture and ill-treatment remain common in many police stations in the country.”

Thus, the senator said on Friday that having a public hearing would better enable the committee to formulate stronger legislative measures to “prevent torturous activities, provide mechanisms for the effective investigation and restitution of legitimate claims of torture and end impunity of such acts.”