On Anti-Torture Day: Civil society groups support government anti-corruption policy and the professionalization of law enforcement agencies to protect rights of citizens

The United against Torture Coalition has expressed support to the policy of president-elect  Rodrigo Duterte to rid the ranks of the Philippine National Police  of corruption and to severe all  alleged  links of law enforcers with criminal groups in effectively  fulfilling their  mission to protect the rights and security of the public.

Josephine Lascano, spokesperson of the UATC, said that instilling a sense of  professionalism and the observance of the rule of law in the  police force is imperative to fulfill President-elect Duterte’s agenda on peace and order.

The coalition made this call  during the Basta! Run Against Torture (BRAT) held last June 25, 2016. The activity gathered more than 1,000 participants from various stakeholders such as the police force, the military, the bureau of jail,  the bureau  of fire protection, the social welfare department, the interior and local government department as well as   the civil society and the Commission on Human Rights.

The participants run for three  kilometers  from the Commission of the Human Rights and around the Quezon Memorial Circle where the participants finally held a program to  mark  the commemoration of the International Day in Support of Torture Victims -  the day when the Convention against Torture went into force in 1986.

“With 150,000 police officers serving 100 million Filipinos, the Philippines has one of the smallest police-to-population ratios in the world. Its  overstretched force makes some law enforcers take ‘shortcuts’ during arrests and criminal investigations. This situation often creates the condition for officers to  resort to torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in carrying out their jobs,” according to Lascano.

“Recruiting more individuals into the force might address this predicament, but improving the institution’s training and operational framework that instills the rule of laws and proper rules of engagement must be underscored as well,” the UATC spokesperson pointed out.

“This may need  a clear cut message from President Duterte himself  for  all law enforcement officials to abide by their own operational procedures in arrest and interrogation of suspects, and to observe the Anti-Torture Act and other human rights standards that prohibit the  exercise of excessive authority and inappropriate use of  violence,” Lascano said.

The UATC has acknowledged that the difficulties faced by the  police officers and security forces in fulfilling their mandate are real.  It called on various sectors to support the efforts of the government to promote good policing work.  

“The observance of due process and not resorting to torture and extra-judicial killings are attitude and behavior that demonstrate professionalism among law enforcers and members of the military. The respect for the Rule of Law must be cornerstone of PNP modernization and professionalization,” she added.