Cop tagged in torture video dismissed from service

MANILA, Philippines - A Manila police precinct commander caught on video torturing a suspect in Tondo last year has been dismissed from the service.

Senior Inspector Joselito Binayug, Asuncion, Tondo Police precinct commander, was dismissed on orders of the National Capital Region Police Office Internal Affairs Service, according to Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr.

“Binayug’s case should serve as a warning to all policemen. PNP chief Director General Raul Bacalzo maintained that a policeman like Senior Inspector Binayug has no place in the police organization,” he said.

Binayug will also face criminal charges as the Commission on Human Rights has implicated him in other crimes, Cruz added.

Binayug’s benefits would be forfeited, though he could claim his unpaid leaves, Cruz said.

Binayug’s dismissal would prove that the police brass will not tolerate wrongdoing in the service, he added.

Metro Manila police commander Director Nicanor Bartolome said Binayug’s dismissal is part of efforts to fast-track administrative cases against erring policemen.

“We are bent on cleansing our ranks of scalawag policemen and the dismissal of Binayug is just the first step,” he said.

Many erring policemen are being subjected to summary dismissal proceedings, he added.

Measures have been implemented to ensure that police recruits are mentally, medically and physically fit, according to Bacalzo.

Last year, the media stumbled upon a video showing a police officer in civilian clothes cursing and whipping a suspect while pulling on a rope tied to his genitals.

The naked suspect was shown grimacing in pain every time the police officer pulled the string.

Binayug denied that he was the person captured on the mobile phone camera.