BUTUAN CITY (MindaNews/15 Dec) — The regional police has ordered an investigation into the alleged hazing of a police scout trainee by six members of the 13th Regional Public Safety Management Battalion (RPSMB) inside Camp Rafael C. Rodriguez, Barangay Libertad here.
“Any breach of internal discipline will be dealt accordingly,” Caraga Police Chief Superintendent Reynaldo Serrano Rafal said.
“ If proven guilty the accused will face the consequences of their actions. There will be no white wash in the case and we would not tolerate such actions especially coming from those who should protect and uphold human rights,” he said.
Rafal issued the order on December 12 after receiving information that 27-year old PO1 Jeffrey Arendain Curiba suffered injuries on his stomach, the back portion of his right leg and right foot resulting in severe hematoma after he was allegedly muled by six police officers from the RPSMB.
“From December 1, 2 and 3, they took turns in punching me in the stomach and hit other parts of my body. It happened in a small resting area made of nipa in a middle of a small pond near our headquarters. I received more than 24 punches each day from the police officers,” said Curiba, a resident of Purok 10a Barangay San Mateo Butuan City.
Curiba identified the officers under investigation as SPO1 Sofronio Maguinda Resma Jr., PO1 Jurry Campus, PO1 Lodiemer Virtudazo Pajaron, PO1 Ronell Gatillo Dalangin, PO1 Delmondo Datahan Cipriano Jr. and a certain PO1 del Mindo.
Accompanied by his mother, Curiba filed a blotter at the City Police Station 3 in Libertad last December 4 and plans to file physical injury charges against the allege culprits.
P/Supt. Martin Mercado Gamba, Public Information Officer of the regional police, said the Regional Investigation and Detective Management group was assigned to lead the investigation. The RPSMB also conducted its own investigation into the matter. (Erwin Mascarinas/MindaNews)
