Melo panel to release findings next week

The fact-finding body tasked by President Arroyo to look into the killings of political activists and journalists is confident it would be able to consolidate its findings next month.

However, retired Supreme Court Justice Jose Melo, the five-member panel’s chairman, said they are faced with lack of witnesses from cause-oriented groups, who were vocal in accusing the government, particularly the military, of perpetrating the killings.

In an interview at the Integrated Bar of the Philippines yesterday, Melo said this would greatly affect their investigation because if families and colleagues of victims would not come forward to testify, the panel would be forced to "work with whatever they have gathered from their previous hearings."

Melo said members of human rights groups like Karapatan, as well as militant organizations Bayan and Bayan Muna have been invited to testify, but up to now, they have not received a positive response.

"Una pa lang, they have said na bakit daw heneral agad ang inimbita namin to testify, when in fact, even in the prosecution of cases before the courts, you don’t wait for witnesses to be available," he said.

"You work with whoever witness is available, so as not to delay the proceedings."

Melo said they have given these groups one month to respond to their invitation, but until now, nobody has expressed willingness to testify.

However, the commission is willing to extend the deadline, if witnesses from cause-oriented groups, as well as the families of the victims would come forward to testify, he added.

Lawyer Rogelio Vinluan, Melo Commission spokesman, said they are set to go to Bacolod next week to hold executive sessions with families of victims, for them to be able to gather information from relatives, who have been reluctant in giving their testimony in a public hearing due to fears for their safety.

"We have encouraged them to come forward, for us to be able to validate their figures with that of the Philippine National Police’s Task Force Usig," he said.

Their next provincial sortie would be in Davao, where they would also conduct meetings with families of victims of extrajudicial killings, he added.

During yesterday’s hearing, representatives from the National Press Club testified on the killings of journalists, which according to them, should be blamed on "influential and powerful people," particularly politicians, who might have been irked by negative reports being published in newspapers.