PNP Crime Lab: Erap supporter bore signs of torture

The Philippine National Police (PNP) Crime Laboratory on Friday found evidence of physical torture imposed upon one of the supporters of ousted President Joseph Estrada while in the custody of arresting officers. A medical certificate presented by the PNP Crime Lab indicated that Ruben Dionisio, a 60-year-old purported assassin of a New People’s Army hit squad, suffered "multiple contusions and abrasions" to his abdomen, thigh, forearm, pectoral region, and other parts of his body. The report certified that "injuries were noted during the time of examination" on May 24, Wednesday. Dionisio and the four other members of the Union of the Masses for Democracy and Justice (UMDJ) were supposedly held by law enforcers from May 22 to 24. Dionisio previously claimed that electric shocks were administered to his genitals and that his head was shoved into a plastic bag. He also showed reporters wounds to his skin, which appeared to be needle pricks streaked with red and black. UMDJ chairman Virgilio Eustaquio and members Jim Cabautan, Dennis Evona and Jose Curameng were taken by plainclothes men on Monday afternoon in Kamuning, Quezon City. The four others, for their part, complained of mental torture at the hands of the arresting officers. The Armed forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Wednesday confirmed that elements of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) took into custody of the five abducted supporters of Estrada. The AFP also verified that the members of the UMDJ 5 were turned over to the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (Isafp) to undergo tactical interrogation.-GMANews.TV