SWAT team mauls PNG student

THE Commission on Human Rights in Central Visayas (CHR-7) will investigate reports of a foreign student from Papua New Guinea who was allegedly mauled by members of the Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT), Cebu city.
A news team from ABS-CBN witnessed the incident which happened around 9am on Sunday in barangay Banilad, Cebu city, the Philippines.
The Papua New Guinean was identified as Bennedict Penini, a 29-year-old information technology student at a Cebu city university.
Cebu city police had to call SWAT members for back-up when they failed to pacify a drunken man.
Police received a trouble alarm in the village of Banilad on Sunday morning.

It was alleged Penini had a fight with another man during a drinking session.
When the man who alle­gedly beat him up left, Penini picked up a stone and used it against a taxi driver who was standing nearby.
This was when the SWAT team attacked him and pinned him down.
Members of the SWAT said they did not have a choice but to intervene since the man was strong and he tried to resist arrest.
Penini, an IT student who had been in Cebu for three months, maintained his innocence, saying he only got beaten up by a fellow Papua New Guinean.
Meanwhile, the taxi driver said he would be file charges against Penini.
Earlier, Penini continued looking for his compatriots but when he failed to find them, he picked up a stone and used it to hit the face of taxi driver Giovanni Catib, who was in the area watching the commotion.
It was then that the SWAT members subdued Penini.
One of the SWAT members struck Penini with the handle of an M-16 armalite. 
The taxi driver also tried to attack Penini but he was prevented by the police.
Police handcuffed Penini and took him to the Mabolo police station. He was later moved to the tourist police near Cebu City Hall. 
PO1 Philip James Tanza, a SWAT member, said they were forced to subdue Penini since he was strong and resisted arrest.
At the police station, Penini tried to attack two of his friends who went with the police to help in the investigation.
“They beat me. Those were my countrymen. I am innocent,” he said.
Residents in the area said Penini would create trouble in the place whenever he gets drunk.
Primo Dumampog, chief investigator of CHR-7, said they would review the video footage of the ABS-CBN news team to determine if the police violated human rights in arresting Penini.
Dumampog said Penini could file a complaint with their office against those who mauled him.