Writer: Norman Bustillo
Baguio Central University, CCJE– Two criminology instructors from Baguio Central University (BCU), Mr. Norman Biagcong Bustillo and Mr. Ranty M. Pao-eng, joined the police investigators and fellow academicians in a two‑day CPD workshop on “Investigative Interviewing: A Human Rights‑Compliant Alternative to Police Interrogation” held at Iyaman Hall, Cordillera Career Development College, on November 22–23, 2025. As faculty members of the College of Criminal Justice Education (CCJE) of BCU, both described the training as highly valuable for strengthening their classroom teaching on ethical investigation, due process, and rights‑respecting police procedures.
Bustillo and Pao-eng participated in intensive sessions that combined lectures with scenario‑based exercises, enabling them to experience first‑hand how non‑coercive interviewing techniques can elicit detailed, reliable accounts from victims, witnesses, and suspects. They noted that the concepts and practical tools shared in the workshop will be integrated into their investigation and forensic‑related courses, allowing criminology students to see concrete models of evidence‑based, human rights‑compliant interviewing. Their attendance also underscores BCU’s support for continuous professional development among its criminology faculty in line with national and international standards.
Dr. Rachelle B. Lintao of the University of Santo Tomas opened the seminar by outlining the theoretical foundations of investigative interviewing as an ethical alternative to traditional interrogation. She explained how rapport‑building, open‑ended questioning and careful documentation help obtain accurate and reliable accounts, linking these practices to international instruments such as the Méndez Principles and other United Nations–supported guidelines on effective interviewing. Her inputs clarified the shift from confession‑driven approaches toward evidence‑based, rights‑oriented interviewing models.
Dr. Rudy B. Gahar, RCrim, of the Polytechnic College of La Union focused on operationalizing investigative interviewing in everyday police work. Drawing from Philippine investigative practice and case examples, he discussed integrating non‑coercive interviewing into agency procedures, from planning interviews and safeguarding rights during custodial investigations to recording statements in a manner that can withstand judicial scrutiny. His lecture offered participants concrete steps for revising checklists, standard operating procedures and documentation practices in line with these standards.
Retired Police Lieutenant Pedro B. Barsane Jr. of the Investigators Society of the Philippines led the practical components of the training. He shared field‑tested lessons on moving away from confession‑centered interrogation and toward evidence‑driven interviewing, emphasizing professionalism, patience and respect for due process. Through role‑plays and structured scenarios, he guided participants in organizing interviews, managing difficult or reluctant interviewees, and critically assessing the quality and consistency of information gathered.
Retired Judge Adolfo R. Malingan of Cordillera Career Development College provided the judicial and human‑rights lens on investigative interviewing. He discussed how courts evaluate confession evidence compared with detailed, well‑documented, non‑coercive interviews, stressing the risks of excluding torture‑tainted or rights‑violative evidence. By highlighting the legal consequences of procedural violations and the need to protect suspects and vulnerable persons, he reminded participants that sound interviewing practices not only strengthen cases but also preserve public trust in the justice system.
For Bustillo and Pao-eng, the combination of theoretical grounding, operational guidance, field experience and judicial insight offered a comprehensive framework they can now transfer to their students. They emphasized that embedding investigative interviewing in criminology curricula will help future law enforcers internalize respect for human rights as an operational norm rather than merely an abstract legal requirement. The seminar thus marked a significant step in aligning police education and practice in the Cordillera region with global standards on ethical, effective and human rights–compliant investigations.
Wherever he steps, whatever he touches, whatever he leaves, even unconsciously, will serve as a silent witness against him. Not only his fingerprints or his footprints, but his hair, the fibres from his clothes, the glass he breaks, the tool mark he leaves, the paint he scratches, the blood or semen he deposits or collects. All of these and more, bear mute witness against him. This is evidence that does not forget. It is not confused by the excitement of the moment. It is not absent because human witnesses are. It is factual evidence. Physical evidence cannot be wrong, it cannot perjure itself, it cannot be wholly absent. Only human failure to find it, study and understand it, can diminish its value.
-Paul L. Kirk (Crime investigation: physical evidence and the police laboratory, 1953)