The Bacolod City Police Investigation and Detective Management Branch have dismissed the torture complaints filed by a car burglary suspect against the two policemen of Police Station 2, City Police Director Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz said yesterday.

De la Paz said IDMB dismissed the complaints filed by Ian Dionson, 32, of Purok Sigay in Brgy. 2, Bacolod against Police Officer 3 Robert Toreno and Police Officer 1 Jermin Bela-ong for lack of merit.

Dionson had stated that the policemen forced him to admit the crime by placing chili pepper on his sex organ and hitting him with a hard object on the head. His alleged companion Sammy Hilado, 26, of Brgy. Rumirang, Isabela town, in an earlier interview with the media also claimed that he was tortured by the policemen, who, he claimed, poured liniment oil on his private part.

However, when Senior Police Officer 2 Jonito Pastrana, investigator of IDMB interviewed him again, Hilado, who refused to undergo medical examination, retracted his statement, saying that neither he nor Dionson were tortured.

Another detainee identified as Stephanie Duadores, whose prison cell is adjacent to that of Hilado and Dionson also claimed that she did not see the policemen torturing the two, contrary to Dionson’s allegations.

Dionson’s family has already filed a separate complaint before the Commission on Human Rights.

Meanwhile, de la Paz issued an admonition order to Station 2 chief, Senior Insp. Robert Dejucos, his deputy chief Inspector Richard Fajarito, Senior Police Ofifcer 1 Jennifer Bautista, Police Officers 2 randy Abello, Fritz Pigar and Leomel Guinanao and Police Officer 1 Jericho Candiasan after IDMB conducted an investigation on the complaints of a barangay captain that the door of the police precinct was closed on the night of July 18.

Brgy. 3 Ricky Filoteo said that he found the main door of the police station closed and a policeman sleeping on a bench.

De la Paz said they only issued an admonition order instead of administrative sanction because Filoteo is no longer interested in pursuing his complaints against the policemen.

De la Paz added that even if Filoteo was no longer pursuing the complaint, they still found some “defects” based on the explanation submitted by Dejucos to IDMB.

Dejucos, in his explanation to the IDMB, admitted that the door of their police station was partially closed, because some of his men were in the field to arrest the car burglars, and that there was a blackout then.

The city director emphasized that the police station should not be closed and should be open all the time, while policemen should not sleep while on duty.*APN

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