Koko will investigate alleged police abuses, arbitrary arrests, illegal detention

The Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, chaired by Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, will conduct an investigation, in aid of legislation, on the practice of police authorities to forcibly take persons to police stations for questioning in the guise of an "invitation".

The Senate inquiry is prompted by reports of alleged abuses by members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other law enforcement agencies in violating the rights of the people against unreasonable searches and seizures, arbitrary arrests and illegal detention.

Pimentel said that the 1987 Constitution ordains the protection and full guarantee of human rights while the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that "everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person".

He also said that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights provides that no "one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention. No one shall be deprived of his liberty except on such grounds and in accordance with such procedure as are established by law".

But he said a closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage last November captured a scene where three security guards of Dasmariñas Village in Makati City were forcibly taken by the police after what looked like an altercation between the guards and the police officers.

In what was then known as the "Dasmariñas Village Gate Incident", the security guards were brought to the Makati police headquarters where they stayed for about four hours, allegedly for "clarification and custodial inquiry".

Pimentel said that it was a serious breach of the rights of the security guards to invite them for questioning, under the Bill of Rights, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

He said there is a need for Congress to find out the extent of the pernicious practice among law enforcement agencies, and how to put an immediate stop to the constitutionally objectionable procedures used by police authorities.

Pimentel said that an inquiry into the Dasmariñas Village incident is necessary because the police might have committed a felony under the Revised Penal Code for making unlawful arrest, arbitrary detention, and grave coercion, among others.

"This unfortunate incident highlights the need for Congress as well as the leadership of our law enforcement agencies to review the standard operating procedure on effecting arrests, particularly warrantless arrests, by law enforcement agents," he said.

At the same time, he said that it is also the duty of Congress to uphold the basic human rights of every Filipino and to ensure that no person shall be deprived of his life, liberty, or property without due process of law.

The incident became a hot national issue because it involved the party of Makati City mayor Junjun Binay whose convoy of vehicles was not allowed to pass through a restricted gate of the posh subdivision in upscale Makati.