The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) expresses grave concern over reports of alleged secret detention, rape, and torture of two women in Cebu City Police Station 6. Although there are already criminal charges filed against 11 police officers for their alleged involvement in rape, extortion, and robbery cases, the CHR Region VII launched an independent probe on Tuesday, 06 April 2021, to investigate whether a secret jail exists inside the police premise and if there are other human rights violations committed.

The regional body is already in constant coordination with the women complainants and working together with Philippine National Police’s Integrity Monitoring and Enhancement Group Visayas Field Unit to ensure the safety of the former detainees.

Moreover, we welcome the commitment and cooperation of the Deputy Director for Operations of Cebu City Police Office saying that they shall not condone any abuse of authority and welcomes the CHR’s investigation as part of their internal cleansing.

Despite the prohibition under the Philippine Constitution and Anti-Torture Act of 2009 on the use of secret detention facilities, the Commission has noted through its investigations around the country that such illegal practice persists in places of detention where cases of torture and other ill-treatment are likely to take place.

Women in particular are most vulnerable to different forms of violence in places of deprivation of liberty as a means of coercion to elicit confessions, to humiliate and dehumanise them, or merely to use the opportunity of their absolute powerlessness.

As the lead agency in the Interim National Preventive Mechanism, the Commission consistently recommends measures to combat all forms of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment inside prisons. We also urge the government to publicly acknowledge and condemn the persistence of torture and other ill-treatment, and ensures prompt, impartial, thorough and effective investigations into all reports of these violations committed by the police and other state agents.

It is high time for the government to enact a legislation that will mandate the creation of National Preventive Mechanism as part of our commitment to the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which the Philippines is a State party to.

Apart from physical and psychological harm, the Commission stresses that preventing torture means improvement of the facilities and reduction of the congestion, which are equally important in recognising the human rights and dignity of persons deprived of liberty.###