CHR slams PNP over ”unnecessary force” during Black Nazarene procession

January 11, 2020

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Saturday slammed the Philippine National Police (PNP) due to alleged incidents of police brutality during the procession of the Black Nazarene last Thursday. 

In a statement, CHR Spokesperson Jaqueline Ann de Guia described the ''unnecessary force'' by police towards devotees and a reporter as a "considered suppression of the freedom of the press."

"CHR urges the PNP to investigate this situation, to ensure this type of treatment is not widespread among law enforcement," she said. 

During the Traslacion, Southern Police District (SPD) Head Brigadier General Nolasco Bathan confiscated the cellphone of a TV reporter while he was  recording an incident where police officers restrained a devotee. 

In a Facebook post by the reporter, Jun Veneracion, he said Bathan confiscated his phone and ordered another policeman to delete his footage of the incident. 

The post was accompanied by the footage itself, which the police tried to delete but was retrieved by Veneracion. Bathan's voice was heard dictating the order in the latter part of the video. 

On Friday, Bathan made a public apology and addressed the issue involving Veneracion. 

Still, CHR argued these are ''not actions indicative of a healthy police force, and this type of behavior must be nipped at the bud.''

The CHR said it is the media's responsibility to inform the public of such incident.

"Translacion is a public event, where police are assigned to protect the people and to de-escalate situations that could lead to violence; over a million Filipinos join this monumental event with the expectation that they were taken care of. The Filipino people deserve to be made aware of incidents that prove otherwise," said De Guia. 

CHR also told police to take responsibility of its officials and high-ranking officers' actions. Cristina Eloisa Baclig/DMS