Men. Women. Children. No one is safe from torture in the Philippines.

Stop torture in the Philippines: No one is above the law

Dear Tracy, In a secret detention center in the Philippines sat a large roulette wheel. On the wheel, descriptions of various torture positions were spelled out. Spin the wheel and land on "30 second 'Paniki' (Bat)," and a detainee would be hung upside down like a bat for 30 seconds. Spin again and land on "20 second Manny Pacman," and a detainee would be punched non-stop for 20 seconds. In the Philippines, no one arrested by the police is safe from torture. The 2014 discovery of this wheel -- known as the "Wheel of Torture" by the officers using it for entertainment -- only served to highlight this. When the Philippines Commission on Human Rights discovered the wheel inside a secret detention center in Laguna, forty-three detainees were also found, with most displaying marks indicating torture. Torture has been a crime in the Philippines since 2009. Despite an increase in reports of abuse by police, no one has been brought to justice. Insist that President Aquino admit to the problem and enforce an end to it. The Philippine National Police is one of the most understaffed forces in the world, and corruption is rife. Though sworn to "serve and protect," the police are under pressure to obtain 'results' and will do almost anything to get them. Most incidents of torture go unreported or unresolved in the Philippines. In fact, of the 43 detainees discovered in the secret detention center, only 23 filed charges with the prosecutor's office. Nearly a year later, all 23 cases filed were still awaiting resolution. Tell Aquino: No one is above the law -- not even the police. No one gets away with torture. In solidarity, Nerve Macaspac Country Specialist Amnesty International USA