CHR may probe Duterte’s slay claims

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) is eyeing the creation of a special team that will investigate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s public admission that he had engaged in extrajudicial killings.

In a media forum yesterday, CHR chairman Chito Gascon said the agency is already reviewing its records to see if there are cases filed against Duterte, who has reportedly executed around 700 people based on a report of the Amnesty International.

But at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) last week, Duterte told supporters and the media the AI report was inaccurate because he had killed 1,700 people.

Gascon said there should be thorough investigation into Duterte’s public pronouncements. But he stressed the CHR has no power to prosecute.

“We’re now looking at records to see if there are facts from the grounds that relate to the statements and if there are that relate to statement made publicly, then we call on the DOJ (Department of Justice) to fully investigate this matter,” noted.

He also called on the police and the National Bureau of Investigation to investigate. The NBI is under the DOJ.

Gascon, however, admitted it would be hard to investigate Duterte’s possible human rights violations just based on his statements.

“All we have are numbers that came from public admissions. We have numbers but no details so how do we begin the investigation?”  

Gascon said Duterte’s alleged victims or their families should come forward to file complaints.

“We want them to come forward and we will offer them protection so that we can get to the bottom of this,” he said. “No one is above the law, not even the president of this country is above the law. We have to establish a system of rule of law.”

Outrage

Meanwhile, rights group Karapatan has denounced Duterte’s repeated and unabashed statements justifying the state’s use of extrajudicial killings as a solution to social ills, including corruption in government.

 “We cannot turn a blind eye much less applaud such an outright affront on human rights, most especially in the light of our people’s experience of the trampling of civil and political liberties and suppression of all democratic rights under the Marcos dictatorship,” Karapatan secretary-general Cristina Palabay said.

“Mayor Duterte’s campaign promise is less

grandiose; in fact, it is straightforward as it is simplistic. Criminals, big and small, are evil and a bane to society,” she said.

“His favorite targets are presumed drug pushers and even users, kidnappers and lately, rice smugglers, but on occasion he also lashes out at corrupt or erring policemen and other government officials,” she added.

“Mayor Duterte wishes to substitute extrajudicial

killings carried out by persons-in-authority without clearly addressing the broken criminal justice system skewed in favor of the moneyed and those with powerful friends and connections. But rather than bringing about law and order, his publicly announced backing of extrajudicial killings abets lawlessness, human-rights violations and abuse by state security forces and the impunity for such state-sponsored violence,” Palabay added.

The group said these issues are a repudiation by the people of the present administration’s daang matuwid (straight path).

She said such style of governance resulted in 304

unexplained killings of peasants, indigenous people, social activists and human rights defenders.

“But rather than ignore or tolerate Duterte’s pronouncements, we challenge him along with all the candidates now running for national office, to state loud and clear their stand as to the unabated, grievous human rights violations being inflicted on our people,” Palabay added. – Sheila Crisostomo, Rhodina Villanueva