‘Bulacan the bloodiest killing field? Victims should sue cops’

MANILA, Philippines — Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo yesterday belied a report by Amnesty International declaring that the government’s war against drugs is a “large-scale murdering enterprise” centered in Bulacan.

“I think it’s incorrigible on the part of Amnesty International… It keeps on calling for an investigation ever since, but the fact remains – the basis for their call is factually wrong,” Panelo told journalists.

He said Amnesty is merely politicizing the so-called extrajudicial killings in the country.

“So we’d rather have our own groups here protective of human rights to help those who feel there have been abuses committed during the conduct of police operations,” Panelo said.

He said the group has been biased in its reporting, citing how the opposition used the spin against the administration.

“Obviously it’s biased, because they kept on saying that we have 27,000 deaths, when that is not true,” Panelo said.

He expressed the same opinion when pressed regarding a move of some UN member-states, which urged the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) to look into the alleged drug-related killings in the country.

“We have been asking them to show us. You give us the figures then show us the facts and the circumstances surrounding these 27,000 deaths. Who are these people?” Panelo said, adding, “And under what circumstances were they murdered or killed?”

He said critics of the government could not present evidence to back their claims, because they accept false reports and narratives.

He said authorities have officially recorded the drug-related killings and the number of victims did not reach 27,000. – With Edu Punay, Romina Cabrera, Ramon Efren Lazaro