The Philippine Army leadership assures the public that torture is not a policy within the organization and will never be one. This is in reaction to the "torture videos" featuring soldiers from the 9th Infantry Division uploaded on YouTube by a certain group Isnayp.
The Philippine Army believes that the CPP-NPA-NDF is behind this propaganda to once again discredit the military organization.
In a statement earlier issued by the 9th Infantry Division, it said that the alleged torture of candidate soldiers was a "thing of the past." Army’s 9th Infantry Division spokesperson, Maj. Harold Cabunoc said the video was taken during the Escape and Evasion practical exercises of the Candidate Soldiers Course Class 185-2008 about three years ago.
As a result of this, the personnel from the Division Training Unit involved in the incident were meted with administrative sanction. Likewise, a letter directive was issued by Headquarters Philippine Army in 2009, scrapping the Escape and Evasion subject from the program of instruction (POI) of the basic military training.
Section II of the Standard Operating Procedure Nr 9 serves as a guideline in the conduct of all officers, enlisted personnel and government civilian employees when dealing with recruits. The directive requires candidate soldiers' training officers to continually monitor the welfare of the trainees. SOP Nr 9 of HPA likewise requires all training managers to abolish any form of maltreatment.
Escape and Evasion are taught only in Special Operations courses like Scout Ranger and Special Forces in order to teach trainees to survive extreme conditions when captured by the enemy, but it does not allow body contact and torture.
Of paramount consideration under the AFP leadership is the protection of human rights. The organization reiterates that the Army and the rest of the AFP emphatically reject any and all forms of torture.
Meanwhile, the AFP has already initiated reforms in its training modules to ensure that similar incidents will not happen again. Likewise, efforts are now underway in enhancing the training program to entice the youth to join the military service. In fact,the 9th ID noted that one of the manifestations that the military service is still appealing to the youth is the influx of thousands of applicants for the Candidate Soldier Course in the Bicol region.
Philippine Army Press Release
