Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 25) — The Justice Department’s statement that an inter-agency investigation’s initial findings revealed a failure on the part of law enforcers to follow protocols during anti-illegal drug operations shows the Philippine legal system is working, said the Palace.
“Itong naunang pahayag ng ating Secretary of Justice ay nagpapatunay na seryoso po tayo sa obligasyon natin na mag-imbestiga at mag-litis,” said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque during a briefing in Negros Oriental. “Dahil hinaharap po natin ang katototahan na posible pong may ilang mga alagad ng batas na kinakailangan sigurong managot sa ating batas dito sa Pilipinas.”
[Translation: The Secretary of Justice’s initial statement proves we are serious in our obligation to investigate and conduct trials (on violations of the right to life). We are facing the truth that there are possibly some law enforcers that need to be held accountable under Philippine law.]
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevara recently told the United Nations Human Rights Council the initial findings of the investigation led by his department revealed law enforcers did not adhere to protocols regarding the examination of weapons allegedly used by suspects and verifying their ownership. State forces likewise failed to follow standard procedures on coordinating with other agencies and crime scene processing, the report found.
“[T]hat proves that our domestic legal system is working at hindi po dapat maghimasok ang ibang mga institusyon,” explained Roque, who also asked that the system be given a chance to function given this transparency and open-mindedness on the secretary’s end.
[Translation: [T]hat proves that our domestic legal system is working and other institutions should not intervene.]
The Duterte administration has been criticized at home and abroad for its bloody war on illegal drugs, with the President himself encouraging the killing of drug lords and suspects repeatedly in the past.
Drug enforcement authorities count over 5,900 deaths from the beginning of the chief executive’s term up to September last year, but human rights advocates argue the figures are actually in the tens of thousands.
President Rodrigo Duterte has warned human rights defenders to keep their hands off his government’s drug war, which he also said is not a “crime against humanity” as dubbed by his critics.
