10 May 2017
PRESS STATEMENT
Statement of Commissioner Karen S. Gomez-Dumpit on the filing of criminal and administrative cases by the Commission on Human Rights before the Ombudsman
against Manila Police District-Raxabago Police Station 1 personnel over its secret detention cell
It is with the utmost urgency and dispatch that the CHR now refers the matter of the secret detention of the Raxabago 12 to the Office of the Ombudsman for their appropriate action and investigation. We are confident that the investigation of this matter will result in the finding of probable cause to charge the Manila Police District personnel involved with violations of all relevant penal provisions under existing law, as well as their administrative liabilities for their violations of police operational procedures and international human rights standards.
This is one of the most shocking and dehumanizing violations of the rights of detained persons in the Philippines to date, and we expect the PNP to take this matter very seriously. We in the CHR do agree with the PNP’s objective to cleanse its ranks of scalawags, and in line with this, we urge the PNP and Director-General Ronald Dela Rosa to guarantee the safety and security of the Raxabago 12, their kin and others who will come forward with knowledge of similar abuses. We urge him to direct all officers in charge of investigating this case within the PNP to prevent the officers involved in accessing the victims and their families.
We hope that the PNP will fully cooperate with the CHR and the Office of the Ombudsman in holding the erring police officers accountable for their actions and lapses that have violated their mandate and motto “to serve and protect.”
We thank all those who have come forward so far in bringing these abuses to light. We also request the media as well as responsible citizen journalists to help keep the public eye on the Raxabago 12. We will be continuing our own investigations on the matter and cooperate with the Office of the Ombudsman for the speedy resolution of this case.
Contact Person:
Atty. Jacqueline Ann C. de Guia
OIC, Public Affairs and Strategic Communication Office
Telephone No: (02) 928-5792 / 09175919833
Email address: comms.chr@gmail.com