Kid accuses police of hurting mother to force confession on drug trade involvement

An eight-year-old boy on Wednesday accused the police of hurting his mother to make her confess that she was involved in selling marijuana.

The son of a female detainee made the disclosure during the House public and order inquiry on the proliferation of alleged illegal buy-bust operations involving members of the Philippine National Police Regional Office 4A (PNP-PRO4A).

Answering the question of Surigao del Norte Representative Robert Ace Barbers, the boy said three police officers approached his mother in a barber shop in M. Santos fronting the Antipolo City Hall and made them ride a gray vehicle where the police hurt his mother.

“Doon po kinuha iyong envelope sa pagupitan. Inakbayan po si Mama, tinatawag ako, [ang sabi] mabait raw po sila kaya pumunta sa amin. Maya-maya sumakay na po kami sa kotse. Sinasabihan si Mama, [na] di nakakasabi ng totoo, sinasabunutan po siya, sinasaktan po,” the boy told lawmakers.

“Umikot -ikot na po kami umistop po kami sa madilim na lugar  nandun po. Pag di po siya (Mama) nakasagot, sinasabunutan po siya,” he added.

The boy's mother said somebody asked her to give the envelope to someone in a gray shirt waiting for them in a barber shop, and that she was surprised the police suddenly jumped on her for a drug bust arrest.

Given the testimony of the kid and his mother, Barbers quizzed Police Major Juan Carlo Porciuncula, the team leader during the arrest, if he still maintains their official statement that the woman was arrested at Deogracias resort, not in M. Santos fronting the city hall, and that no such violence happened.

Porciuncula stood by their statement.

“Doon po namin siya [sa Deogracias] nahuli, doon po nag-imbentaryo. Wala po [ganung insidente], your honor,” the police officer said.

At this point, Antipolo Representative Romeo Acop, a former police officer, presented a CCTV video on M. Santos confirming the story of the boy.

Acop then said that similar scheme was done by the police in arresting detainee Christian Jonel Babagay who told the committee  on Wednesday that he was "sinupot" or his head was put in plastic and was physically hit by the police during his arrest. Porciuncula was allegedly part of the arresting team.

Babagay’s mother, Maria, sought Acop’s help over her son’s arrest. Both Babagay and the female detainee are constituents of Acop in Antipolo.

“The circumstances, MO (modus operandi), pareho,” Acop said.

“I doubt there is a buy-bust conducted. There is an abduction conducted as far as this representation is concerned,” he added.

After the CCTV was shown, Barbers again asked Major Porciuncula if he still stands by his account on the arrest of the female detainee.

“Major, naroon iyong bata [sa CCTV]. Pinanindigan mo iyong Deogracias [arrest]?” the solon said.

To which the police official responded, “Yes, your honor.”

Barbers did not take the answer lightly and moved for Porciuncula to be cited in contempt for lying.

“As much as possible we want to help the police kasi magkakakampi po tayo diyan e, ang kalaban natin droga. But if you have officers like these lying to his teeth, I am compelled to cite him in contempt and perhaps detain him here,” he said.

“Sinungaling e,” he added.

Barbers’ motion, however, was not acted upon until the hearing was suspended for another date.—AOL, GMA Integrated News