Members of the Philippine National Police again topped the list of alleged human rights violators in Negros Occidental last year, with complaints filed against them mostly job-related, Romeo Baldevarona, provincial chief of the Commission on Human Rights, yesterday said.

Of the 42 complaints lodged in 2012 at the CHR provincial office, 18 of the respondents were policemen, four civilians and unidentified armed men, three New People’s Army men, two barangay captains, teachers and security guards.

From zero in 2011, the Philippine Army got one complaint last year, that was an offshoot of an encounter in Isabela, Negros Occidental, where they arrested 19 Bukidnon tribesmen, on suspicion of being NPA members, CHR records also show.

The PNP has not been dislodged from the CHR list for having the most number of human rights complaints in more than a decade now, CHR records show.

Baldevarona said that while the PNP hierarchy is exerting efforts to curb cases of human rights violations by its personnel, citing implementation of some reforms, there is still the need to strictly abide with the number of hours for CHR subjects during the basic training of neophyte policemen, which is 48 hours, as agreed on by the CHR and Philippine Public Safety College.

He noted that the majority of policemen facing human rights complaints have the rank of Police Officer 1.

Baldevarona also said that police officers manning the Human Rights Desk, implemented last year by the PNP, should be thoroughly trained in human rights laws and related issues.

For several years now, the CHR provincial office in Negros Occidental has been assisting the Philippine Army and National Police in ensuring compliance with human rights laws.

Violation of right to personal security, including illegal search and arrest, topped the nature of complaints lodged at the CHR last year, followed by murder with seven, violation of RA 7610, or child abuse – 4, threats -3, homicide, physical injuries, rape and violation of RA 9262 -2 and one each for violation of the right to due process and food, unlawful arrest, torture, malicious mischief, harassment, incriminating an innocent person, robbery with arson, grave misconduct, grave coercion and arbitrary detention.

Of the 42 victims, 17 are civilians, CHR records also show.*GPB

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