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| In this October 2016 photo, Senators Manny Pacquiao, Richard Gordon and Panfilo Lacson participate in the investigation into extrajudicial killings in President Rodrgio Duterte's war on drugs. PRIB/Albert Calvelo |
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights should investigate further into allegations that drug-related killings are sponsored by the state, Sen. Francis Pangilinan, who filed a separate opinion on the panel's findings, said.
Pangilinan, president of the Liberal Party, said the the Justice committee wrapped up its investigation too soon and left several "factual and legal" questions unanswered.
He said the panel, chaired by Sen. Richard Gordon after Sen. Leila De Lima was evicted from the position, ended its probe even before the Commission on Human Rights and their witnesses appeared at hearings.
"Notwithstanding, the CHR submitted copies of the affidavits of its proposed witnesses to the committee for its consideration," Pangilinan wrote.
These, however, were not discussed in the committee report, he said.
A committee report is submitted to the Senate in plenary.
"To my mind, the failure to consider these material pieces of evidence, together with the exclusion of CHR witnesses, rendered the termination of the legislative inquiry premature," Pangilinan wrote.
Although the committee cleared the government of involvement in the killings, Gordon said he saw the violation of the constitutional rights of the people being apprehended, including the absence of lawyers when executing affidavits or confessions, in the police's Oplan Tokhang anti-drug campaign.
'Panel ignored evidence'
Pangilinan disagreed with the conclusion that the Justice panel and the committee on public order found no proof that there are state-sponsored killings.
"I strongly dissent to the factual conclusion of the Joint Committee that 'there is no proof that there is a state-sponsored policy to commit extrajudicial killings to eradicate illegal drugs in the country' on the basis of lack of evidence presented," Pangilinan, a lawyer, said.
After six hearings, the panels concluded that there are no state-sponsored killings, saying that there wasn't enough proof that the alleged Davao Death Squad exists.
Confessed hitman Edgar Matobato claimed at the start of the hearings that the group, which he said President Rodrigo Duterte formed when he was mayor of Davao City, exists. He said he was a member and had killed in the past at Duterte's behest.
Gordon has recommended charges against Matobato for the kidnapping and death of Sali Makdum in 2002, which was supposedly ordered by Duterte.
Pangilinan said that crucial pieces of evidence seemed to have been ignored, referring to the murder and homicide statistics submitted by the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Statistics Authority, which, he said, included deaths that do not fall within the definition that the Senate committees adopted for extrajudicial killings, making the report inaccurate.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government, which has administrative authority over the PNP, has also said that there can be no extrajudicial killings in the country because there is no death penalty, and therefore, there are no "judicial killings".
Pangilinan also wrote that police testimony crediting the killings to vigilante groups and drug syndicates was never explained nor was evidence provided to support the claims.
"It was incumbent upon the Joint Committee to verify such claims with independent sources and state the result of its verification report," Pangilinan said.
The government has denied that there is a campaign to exterminate suspected drug users and dealers and blames the deaths on vigilantes and criminals turning on each other.
More than 2,000 deaths have also been recorded as part of official police operations, where suspects reportedly shot it out with police. -- Kristian Javier
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