No reason to stop drug war — Año

MANILA, Philippines — There is no reason for the government to stop the war on illegal drugs, Secretary Eduardo Año of the Department of the Interior and Local Government said yesterday.

Año made the statement in response to the call of Vice President Leni Robredo to President Duterte to halt the controversial anti-illegal drug campaign where thousands of suspected drug offenders have been killed.

“The war on drugs must continue without letup but with the rule of law keenly observed,” Año said.

In an interview with Reuters, Robredo said there has been no evidence of decline in drug supply and usage in the country despite thousands killed in the government’s bloody crackdown on illegal drugs in the past three years.

“We ask ourselves, ‘why is this still happening?’ The President has already made very serious threats to drug syndicates, to drug lords… and yet it’s still very prevalent, so obviously it’s not working,” Robredo was quoted as saying in a report released Wednesday.

“We have seen a lot of police that have abused their powers and not been penalized so this is where the International Criminal Court (ICC) could come in, if we do not show the world that we can take care of our own mess,” she added.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) previously reported that at least 6,800 suspected drug offenders were killed in what authorities claimed were legitimate shootouts.

PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said measures have been put in place to ensure that lawmen will respect human rights.

“The PNP enforcement of law against illegal drugs will remain relentless following established procedures and rule of law, with utmost respect for human rights,” he said.

Banac said they maintain the validity of all official reports of law enforcement operations, disputing the allegation of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) that the police just cut and paste the same information in describing every operation.

“We stand by these reports despite how some quarters branded it according to how they perceive it,” Banac said.

Human rights organizations said the casualty count is even higher, noting the number of those killed by suspected vigilante groups since Duterte took over in 2016. 

ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda earlier initiated a preliminary examination on the alleged crimes against humanity committed in connection with the drug war.

The move prompted the Duterte government to pull out from the international body, although it did not stop the process of inquiry that is still ongoing.

Earlier this year, the 47-member United Nations Human Rights Council narrowly passed a resolution seeking an investigation on the situation in the Philippines.

The Philippine government, a member of the human rights body, has condemned the countries that supported the measure. – With Janvic Mateo