THE House Committee on Human Rights on Monday resumed its inquiry, in aid of legislation, into the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during the drug war operations of the previous administration.
The investigation is based on House Resolution 14 filed by Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Danniel Manuel and the privilege speech delivered by ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro on Nov. 8, 2023 on the matter.
Former Sen. Leila De Lima, who was present at the hearing, alleged former President Rodrigo R. Duterte as the mastermind of the systematic extrajudicial killings during the 2016 to 2022 drug war, replicating operations he led in Davao City from 1988 to 2016 when he was the Mayor.
“There is no doubt in my mind that former President Rodrigo Duterte is the mastermind, as he was the instigator and inducer of the drug war killings” she said.
She provided a detailed account of the investigation she led into the summary executions in Davao when she was the chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).
Based on her investigation, vigilante squads of police officers and civilian hitmen were organized to target individuals in “nanlaban” operations or riding-in-tandem attacks, with Davao policemen appointed to replicate the system in Metro Manila and other cities.
De Lima explained that the CHR started the investigation due to reports received, including that from former United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur Phillip Alston.
She said that she tried to verify such reports with the local CHR, which validated specific killings but was unable to conclusively link the summary executions to former mayor and President Rodrigo Duterte.
“However, unlike in Davao where there was no shortage of civilian hitmen recruited either from rebel returnees or small-scale miners from Diwalwal, the riding-in-tandem vigilantes in the national death squads, perhaps not all, are simply policemen in plain clothes. Some of them may be civilians but recruited, coordinated with and paid by the police to kill,” De Lima added.
Bukidnon Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong asked Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Rommel Marbil about the current status of PNP drug operations and the notable decrease in killings related to illegal drug operations.
Marbil emphasized that these operations are continuous, with a primary focus on reducing the supply of illegal drugs and the preservation of life.
“We have better numbers of confiscated shabu in our inventory compared to before, but the continuous operations against illegal drugs are non-stop,” Marbil said.
He added that the PNP has established complaint desks in all Criminal Investigation and Detection Group regional offices to handle complaints against PNP personnel.
