Four minors accuse barangay exec of torture
- Details
- Published on Tuesday, 03 July 2012 00:00
- Written by ANGELA LOPEZ DE LEON
By A Web design Company
FOUR minors who were allegedly tortured and humiliated by two Quezon City barangay officials and a police officer yesterday filed a complaint for child abuse and torture before the Prosecutor’s Office.
The four boys, accompanied by their parents and members of Akap-Bata party-list group, lodged the complaint against chief of barangay watchmen Eleuterio Endozo Jr. of Barangay Marilag, barangay council member Andy Abundo, and an unidentified policeman.
They charged the respondents with child abuse or violation of Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act and violation of Anti-Torture Act or Republic Act 9745.
In their three-page joint affidavit, the boys – aged 12, 13, 14 and 16 – said the incident happened after they were caught by four men and a woman stealing three screws from a damaged jeepney parked along Magat Salamat St. at Brgy. Marilag in Project 4, intending to resell them to a junk shop.
The 16-year-old boy said he was slapped in the face by an unidentified watchman before they were made to board a vehicle that brought them to the barangay hall.
At the barangay hall, Endozo allegedly ordered the boys to take off their clothes purportedly to find out if they had body tattoos.
The complainants said they were shot with a stun gun and their skin burned with lighted cigarette butts.
The eldest boy said he was punched in the stomach and had one of the screws put in his mouth for four hours.
The boy was also allegedly asked to shout through a megaphone that he would never repeat what they did. He said he was also made to write the words “hindi na ako magnanakaw” on 15 sheets of paper.
The 14-year-old boy, on the other hand, said that Endozo cut his hair.
The eldest boy said the unidentified policeman, who arrived at the barangay hall, put bullets between his fingers and squeezed them.
After enduring sufferings from the respondents, the three younger boys were released at around 1:30 p.m. the following day, while the eldest was brought to the parked jeepney where he was made to say “hindi na ako magnanakaw” to passersby.
After 15 minutes, Endozo gave the 16-year-old boy P20 and was warned not to report the incident.
