The Department of Justice (DoJ) said on Wednesday members of a police precinct in Tondo, Manila, caught on video torturing a suspected thief inside prison cell face the full force of the law.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said there is no place in Philippine society for the sickening practice of torture.

“There is no place within our law enforcement agencies for individuals capable of engaging in something so despicable,” said De Lima.

De Lima said individuals involved should be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, especially the recently passed Anti-Torture Act.

“It is time to put this piece of legislation to the test and see if it can be an effective tool for greater accountability and diminished impunity,” De Lima added.

Reports said the entire force of a police precinct in Tondo, Manila was relieved on Wednesday and Chief Supt. Rodolfo Magtibay, Manila Police District (MPD) Director, ordered an investigation over a cell phone video showing one of the police officers torturing a suspect while the others watched.

Magtibay said all 20 members of the Asuncion community precinct were relieved effective on Wednesday, following the relief on Tuesday of the precinct commander, Senior Inspector Joselito Binayug.

In the video that was leaked by an unnamed informant to ABS-CBN, it showed Binayug who was seen allegedly torturing the unidentified man by tugging at his genitals with a string every time he failed to answer a question.

ABS-CBN reported that the man had died although his identity was not yet known.

Magtibay said the Asuncion policemen would be sent to the regional headquarters for investigation.

He said it would be ideal for the ones who took the video to come out, but he added he understood if they were too scared.

“There are other ways to build our case,” the MPD director said.

Meanwhile, MPD spokesman Police Chief Inspector Erwin Margarejo said the immediate relief of Binayug from his position as Asuncion Police Community Police (PCP) chief should serve as a warning to other police officials that they would not condone such inhumane act against a suspected criminal.

Other police officials practicing such barbaric and inhumane act towards suspected criminal acts should think twice as the MPD will not tolerate this kind of action. Though they were arrested for violations they had committed, police officers should be reminded of suspects’ rights as well,” Margarejo told reporters in an interview.

Aside from Binayug, Margarejo said at least 21 police officers detailed at Asuncion PCP in Tondo were also relieved on orders of Manila Mayor Alfredo S. Lim.

On Tuesday, a video showing Binayug's alleged brutality against a still unidentified man, alleged to be a notorious pickpocket, surfaced and was shown on ABS-CBN's TV Patrol.

The tipster, who was only identified as Emil, had sought the help of the TV network as he feared that Binayug would torture him should the police officer found out that he had the copy of the said video.

The controversial video showed a naked man, whose sex organs were tied with a string, being beaten by a police officer as the latter insisted that the former was involved in a robbery. Near them were several police officers who were watching as the police official continued to beat the man.

When the tipster was asked as to who was allegedly beating the suspect, Emil immediately identified the man, who was clad in white shirt and was holding a wooden stick, as Binayug.