The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has started its probe into the alleged force and coercion employed by the policemen in the reported rescue of 19 Lumad children and two adults in Cebu City last Monday, Feb. 15.
A human rights group has accused the policemen of abuse while the Philippine National Police (PNP) insisted that its enforcers rescued the children who were “lured” by “communist front” and are being trained in revolutionary warfare.
CHR Spokesperson and lawyer Jacqueline Ann de Guia said the commission is now conducting an independent probe regarding the matter.
"The CHR has already dispatched an investigating team... to look into the situation involving the alleged rescue of Lumad children in a university in Cebu City," De Guia said.
"Given the different claims involving the incident, our interest is to pin down the truth and look forward to the cooperation of all parties concerned as we move forward in our independent investigation," she said.
Human rights group Karapatan has voiced its outrage after seeing videos on the rescue of the children.
Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay claimed that the children refused to go with the policemen but the law enforcers “used force and coercion” to get them.