8/13/2019 The Wheel of Torture
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The Wheel of Torture, a game that should never be played
Towards the end of January 2014, the Philippine Commission on
Human Rights (CHR!ondu!ted an inspe!tion in what was alleged to "e
a se!ret detention fa!ility in the pro#in!e of
$i%an, &aguna, Philippines' hat the CHR offi!ials dis!o#ered
sho!)ed them' They found the
*wheel of torture,+ whi!h purported to "e a torture de#i!e used
"y the offi!ers of the PP(Philippine ational Poli!e pro#in!ial
intelligen!e "ran!h in $i%an'
The *wheel of torture+ loo)s li)e an inno!uous entertainment
de#i!e from afar' -nd e#en if it ise.amined !losely, one would
thin) of it as su!h' $ut the CHR offi!ials re#ealed that the
poli!e
used it to determine the )ind of torture to "e infli!ted upon
the detainees, mostly suspe!ted drug
traffi!)ers' The poli!emen would spin the *wheel of torture,+
whi!h !ontains different ways of
infli!ting physi!al torture on detainees' /or instan!e, the
wheel !ontains *20 e!ond annyPa!man,+ whi!h means twenty se!onds of
nonstop "eating a la anny *Pa!man+ Pa!3uiao, the
famous /ilipino "o.er' CHR offi!ials said the poli!e offi!ers do
that for information, !onfession,
or fun'
Human rights group at home and a"road !ondemned the pra!ti!e'
CHR Chairperson &oretta -nn
Rosales !alled it *horri"le'+ Hael 5alang/olli of -mnesty
6nternational !alled it *despi!a"le'+
-t least ten poli!e offi!ers in#ol#ed in this a"omina"le
pra!ti!e ha#e "een relie#ed from their
posts and are now "eing in#estigated for pro"a"le administrati#e
and !riminal !harges'
Philippine laws and international instruments prohi"it torture
for whate#er purpose it is used'
-rti!le 666, e!tion 12 (2 of the 1789 Philippine
Constitutionpro#ides: *o torture, #iolen!e,
threat, intimidation or any other means whi!h #itiate the free
will shall "e used against;+ * C-T defines torture as *any a!t "y
whi!h se#ere pain or suffering, whether physi!al or
mental, is intentionally infli!ted on a person for su!h purposes
as o"taining from him or a third
person information or a !onfession, punishing him for an a!t he
or a third person has !ommitted
or is suspe!ted of ha#ing !ommitted, or intimidating or !oer!ing
him or a third person, or for anyreason "ased on dis!rimination of
any )ind, when su!h pain or suffering is infli!ted "y or at the
instigation of or with the !onsent or a!3uies!en!e of a pu"li!
offi!ial or other person a!ting in an
offi!ial !apa!ity' 6t does not in!lude pain or suffering arising
only from, inherent in or in!identalto lawful san!tions'+
This definition was adopted "y the Philippine legislature when
it passed Repu"li! -!t 794@, thePhilippine -ntiTorture -!t of 2007'
The law does not only punish physi!al torture, "ut also
mentalA psy!hologi!al torture whi!h refers to *a!ts !ommitted "y
a person in authority or agent
of a person in authority whi!h are !al!ulated to affe!t or
!onfuse the mind andAor undermine a
personBs dignity and morale'+
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/570457/filipino-cops-accused-of-using-wheel-of-torturehttp://newsinfo.inquirer.net/570457/filipino-cops-accused-of-using-wheel-of-torturehttp://newsinfo.inquirer.net/570457/filipino-cops-accused-of-using-wheel-of-torturehttp://newsinfo.inquirer.net/570457/filipino-cops-accused-of-using-wheel-of-torturehttp://newsinfo.inquirer.net/570457/filipino-cops-accused-of-using-wheel-of-torturehttp://www.lawphil.net/consti/cons1987.htmlhttp://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CAT.aspxhttp://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CAT.aspxhttp://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2009/ra_9745_2009.htmlhttp://newsinfo.inquirer.net/570457/filipino-cops-accused-of-using-wheel-of-torturehttp://newsinfo.inquirer.net/570457/filipino-cops-accused-of-using-wheel-of-torturehttp://newsinfo.inquirer.net/570457/filipino-cops-accused-of-using-wheel-of-torturehttp://www.lawphil.net/consti/cons1987.htmlhttp://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CAT.aspxhttp://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2009/ra_9745_2009.html
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6n 201, as the Philippines ?oined the entire world in the
!ele"ration of 6nternational Human
Rights Day, Philippine President $enigno ' -3uino 666Es
spo)esperson e!retary onny Colomasaidthat it is the primordial
!ommitment of the President to prote!t the "asi! rights of the
/ilipinos'
Fet when human rights group !alled on the -3uino -dministration
to a!t swiftly, it !hose to
pussyfoot' e!retary Coloma said, *e will await CHREs findings
and re!ommendations on thisspe!ifi! matter as it has the primary
responsi"ility for prote!ting and promoting human rights'+
hen he assumed the presiden!y in 2010, among his priorities was
to get rid of Philippine
upreme Court Chief Justi!e Renato Corona who, the President
"elie#ed, was a politi!al la!)eyof his prede!essor 5loria
a!apagal-rroyo' Thus, in 2011, he #igorously supported the
impea!hment of Chief Justi!e Corona' The Philippine enate
su!!essfully impea!hed the Chief
Justi!e' $ut today, one of the enators, Ramon *$ong+ Re#illa,
Jr', is !laiming that President
-3uino in#ited himto lo""y for the !on#i!tion of the Chief
Justi!e'
That merely goes to show that if the President wishes to get
things done, he !an a!tually get
things done'The re!ent e.posure of torture pra!ti!e in
$i%an,&aguna presents a great
opportunity for the -3uino -dministration to deli#er its promise
to prote!t the "asi! rights of
/ilipinos'
This is a defining moment for the -3uino -dministration insofar
as human rights prote!tion is
!on!erned' -s a Chief &aw Gnfor!er, President -3uinoEs
mandate is to ensure that laws arefaithfully e.e!uted' This
in!ludes nota"ly the -ntiTorture -!t of 2007 and the > C-T'
ith
"arely two years "efore his term e.pires, President -3uino must
seie this opportunity'
http://anc.yahoo.com/news/coloma--aquino-committed-to-protect-basic-rights-of-filipinos-093459357.htmlhttp://anc.yahoo.com/news/coloma--aquino-committed-to-protect-basic-rights-of-filipinos-093459357.htmlhttp://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/344680/news/nation/bong-revilla-pnoy-personally-asked-me-to-convict-coronahttp://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/344680/news/nation/bong-revilla-pnoy-personally-asked-me-to-convict-coronahttp://anc.yahoo.com/news/coloma--aquino-committed-to-protect-basic-rights-of-filipinos-093459357.htmlhttp://anc.yahoo.com/news/coloma--aquino-committed-to-protect-basic-rights-of-filipinos-093459357.htmlhttp://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/344680/news/nation/bong-revilla-pnoy-personally-asked-me-to-convict-coronahttp://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/344680/news/nation/bong-revilla-pnoy-personally-asked-me-to-convict-corona
