Philippines relieves entire police battalion after alleged brutal hazing of 129 recruits
MANILA — Philippine police have relieved an entire battalion from duty after 129 recruits were allegedly subjected to systematic physical abuse during a clandestine initiation rite in the country's volatile south.
Key Context
- The Purge: Over 70 officers from Regional Mobile Force Battalion 14-B are under restrictive custody facing potential criminal and administrative charges.
- The Abuse: Medical examinations of victims confirmed severe physical trauma, including hematomas and bruising caused by wooden and "arnis" sticks.
- The Law: The investigation is being conducted under the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018, a stringent law designed to end the culture of violence in the nation’s security academies.
The mass disciplinary sweep resulted in the immediate removal of more than 70 officers from their posts at the unit’s headquarters in Lamitan City, Basilan.
The move comes as the Philippine National Police (PNP) attempts to root out a deeply entrenched culture of institutional violence that has long plagued the organization's training protocols.
According to official reports, the officers have been placed under restrictive custody while authorities determine the full extent of the "protracted ordeal" suffered by the new recruits.
It marks a significant shift in the department’s willingness to hold large-scale units accountable for conduct that has historically been shielded by a "blue wall of silence."
Sources tell CNN that the initiation rites allegedly occurred on Feb. 5, immediately following the recruits’ completion of the Basic Internal Security Operations Course.
Rather than being deployed to their assigned posts, the graduating class of 129 noncommissioned officers was allegedly forced into a "gauntlet of abuse" that lasted for several hours.
Witnesses and victims informed investigators that the recruits were punched, slapped, and repeatedly struck with wooden sticks and arnis batons.
The ordeal reportedly included forced physical exhaustion, with recruits ordered to perform "duck walks" and roll across the ground for hours under the tropical sun.
Medical examinations conducted on at least 30 of the victims documented significant bruising, severe hematomas, and signs of acute physical trauma.
The investigation was triggered after a single recruit filed a formal complaint—a rare act of defiance in a profession defined by strict hierarchy and internal loyalty.
That initial testimony prompted 18 other victims to come forward, eventually revealing that the entire graduating class had been targeted by their superiors.
Investigators have since identified 12 primary suspects among the battalion’s ranks, including five corporals and five patrolmen, according to a statement from the PNP.
The Big Picture The scale of the alleged abuse suggests a significant breakdown in command oversight in one of the Philippines' most sensitive regions. Basilan and its surrounding islands are a flashpoint for insurgent activity, where the police are tasked with maintaining a fragile peace against various extremist groups. For a nation attempting to professionalize its security apparatus, the episode serves as a sobering reminder of the distance between legislative intent and the entrenched customs of the rank and file.
Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño, the spokesperson for the Philippine National Police, said the department is maintaining a zero-tolerance policy regarding such misconduct.
"The PNP will not tolerate any form of abuse within our ranks," Tuaño said in a briefing, confirming that the entire battalion has been replaced by personnel from a neighboring unit.
The replacement was necessary to ensure that ongoing security operations in the volatile Basilan region remain uninterrupted during the investigation.
The relieved officers have since been transferred to regional headquarters in Maguindanao del Norte for formal accounting and questioning.
The National Police Commission in the Bangsamoro region has also launched a parallel inquiry into the battalion’s leadership.
Officials familiar with the situation say the inquiry will focus on the principle of "command responsibility," which could see high-ranking supervisors face dismissal.
The findings will determine the full scope of the charges to be filed under Republic Act 11053, a law recently strengthened following high-profile hazing deaths.
Under this law, supervisors who fail to intervene or prevent such abuse can be held criminally liable alongside the direct perpetrators.
As of Tuesday, authorities were continuing to evaluate forensic medical evidence and additional victim testimonies to build a definitive case.
The story remains a developing situation as investigators prepare to file formal charges with the Department of Justice.