THE House Committee on Human Rights chaired by Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. resumed on Wednesday its investigation into the alleged extrajudicial killings (EJK) during the peak of the previous administration’s drug war.
“The investigation will focus on the perspective of the state actors responsible for implementing the war on drugs, with an emphasis on maintaining fairness and impartiality to ensure that all sides are heard. This approach is deemed essential for the integrity of the inquiry and vital for achieving true justice,” Abante said.
Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong observed certain similarities in the vigilante killings with unidentified perpetrators, noting the lack of progress reports on these cases to date.
According to him, the overlap between these killings and the drug war has resulted in convoluted information regarding the campaign’s effectiveness.
“It puts us in a very uncertain condition, I mean generally. Because the more that these are not identified, itong mga vigilante group, the more we are saying that our streets are not really safe for anyone. So we’re relying on the police to really find out kung sino ba talaga itong mga vigilante na mga gunmen,” Alonto said.
National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL-NCR) Secretary General Atty. Kristina Conti described how the drug war killed EJK victims.
This included the deaths of a minor and an individual suspected of involvement in drug-related activities, despite the absence of any documented evidence linking them to drugs in police records, among others.
Criminal Investigation and Detection Group – Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (CIDG – DIDM) chief Police Brig. Gen. Matthew Baccay assured the committee of the full cooperation of the PNP in assisting the families of EJK victims.
He emphasized the necessity of complainants and converting shared information into evidence for filing cases, potentially in the prosecutor’s office.
Baccay also encouraged families to cooperate with the PNP, noting that PNP chief Gen. Rommel Marbil has already expressed full support, should criminal cases be filed against policemen.
Abante expressed confidence in the current administration’s police force, stating that it is significantly different from the past and that the public can now rely on their assistance.
Show cause orders were issued by the panel to former National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Medardo de Lemos, former Solicitor General Jose Calida, former PNP chief Vicente Danao and Col. Lito Patay, resource persons from the Department of Justice, former PNP – Internal Affairs Service chief Atty. Alfegar Triambulo to attend the next hearing.
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