MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights apologized for its failure to rescue alleged drug suspects unlawfully detained in a Manila police station secret detention cell in April 2017.
The commission issued the statement Monday after it drew criticisms over a scene in the award-winning documentary “Aswang,” which depicted the dire situation of 12 detainees in a secret cell located behind a bookshelf at the Manila Police District-Raxabago Police Station 1.
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The twelve people were detained at a tiny cell for days without windows and proper ventilation for a week. Some were beaten and tortured.
In a Facebook post, photographer Ezra Acayan said the “worst” part was the failure of personnel from CHR to rescue them.
“The entire thing was reduced to a photo op. I could remember that night, me and my colleagues were disappointed to hear the other CHR people murmur to themselves, that they couldn’t spend any time longer there as they had a dinner event to catch. For most of them, the supposed rescue mission was [unpaid] overtime,” Acayan said.
READ: The story behind Tondo jail’s ‘secret cell’ as told by photojournalist Ezra Acayan, ‘Aswang’ movie
In a statement, CHR spokesperson Jacqueline De Guia said the commission acknowledges criticisms and is open for feedback from public to improve its services.
“Kami ay humihingi ng paumanhin sa naging pagkukulang ng CHR at kabiguang masagip ang mga biktima sa araw na matuklasan ang secret jail,” De Guia said.
(We apologize for our shortcoming and failure to rescue the victims on the day we discovered the secret jail.)
“Mula noon, patuloy nang nagsasagawa ng mga reporma sa CHR para lalong mapabuti ang pagtupad namin sa aming mandato, kabilang ang pagsisiguro na maiiwasan ang mga hindi makataong gawain at pamamalakad sa mga bilangguan sa bansa,” she added.
(Since then, we have been conducting reforms in CHR to improve the fulfilment of our mandate, which include ensuring that we will prevent inhumane acts and management of prisons in our country.)
But the commission said it had taken steps to make the police officers involved accountable by filing administrative and criminal charges against personnel of the MPD-Raxabago Police Station 1 before the Office of the Ombudsman.
“Hanggang sa kasalukuyan, patuloy ang pakikipag-ugnayan ng CHR sa Office of the Ombudsman para i-monitor ang pag-usad ng kaso,” De Guia said.
(Until now, we are constantly coordinating with the Office of the Ombudsman to monitor the case.)
De Guia also said the CHR had participated in the inquiry conducted by lower house’s committee on human rights and helped in placing witnesses in Witness Protection Program.
A report from the United Nations human rights office said key policies driving the war on drugs and incitement to violence from the highest levels of government have resulted in serious human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings.
Latest government figures put the number of alleged drug personalities killed in the war on drugs at 5,601. But it is significantly lower than the estimates by human rights watchdogs of as many as 27,000 killed. — Gaea Katreena Cabico