CEBU CITY — The chief of a police station in Lapu-Lapu City and his two personnel were relieved from their posts over accusations of police brutality.

LAPU-LAPU City Hall of Justice (Wikipedia)
The three police officers from the Marigondon Police Station were transferred to the Regional Holding Admin Unit of the Police Regional Office-Central Visayas (PRO-7) while the accusation is being investigated.
Lt. Col. Gerard Ace Pelare, spokesperson of PRO-7 chief Brig. Gen. Anthony Aberin, assured that the investigation will be impartial.
“The position of our regional director in this kind of situation is very clear. We will never condone any deviations from the police operational procedure. If someone is found to have violated the police operational procedure in the conduct of investigation, as in this case, then we will file the necessary charges,” said Pelare.
Pelare said the police officers involved will be given due process by providing an opportunity to explain their side or refute the accusation.
The relief of the three police officers stemmed from the complaint of a 20-year-old criminology student.
The student said he was supposed to report a theft that happened in a house where he works as a caretaker.
A bicycle and a chainsaw were taken by the burglars, he said.
He went to the Police Station 4 of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office on October 4 to report the theft.
The student said he thought that the two policemen would only interview him to extract details in relation to the theft.
The student said what happened was an interrogation where he was forced to admit the theft.
The complainant said he was assaulted with a baseball bat and an electronic and was forced to undergo a supposed drug test that showed he was positive of illegal drug use.
The student denied using illegal drugs. He added that the two policemen forced him to kneel and repeatedly whipped him in different parts of his body.
The student was released around midnight when it was proven that he was not involved in the crime. He informed his parents of the ordeal he suffered at the hands of the policemen.
The complainant’s father, a traffic enforcer, sought help from Lapu-Lapu Mayor Junard Chan.
Police allegedly attempted to settle the incident but the family was determined to file charges and rejected the offer.