Citing past probes, Karapatan doubts task force investigation into Echanis killing
MANILA, Philippines — Rights group Karapatan expressed cynicism at the Department of Justice’s probe into the killing of peasant leader Randall Echanis, saying its special task force did not make substantial progress in past investigations.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Tuesday that its Administrative Order 35 task force, the panel tasked to probe cause-oriented killings, stands ready to look into the murder of Echanis—once his identity is confirmed, which Anakpawis said happened on Tuesday.
But Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay is doubtful the investigation will make progress. “Hundreds of activists have already been killed under this fascist regime and the DOJ’s task force has failed to [bring them] justice and hold their perpetrators accountable,” she said in a statement.
Guevarra, reacting to Karapatan’s statement, said that the department would just proceed with its work. “The DOJ will just go ahead and do what it is duty-bound to do. It has already directed the [National Bureau of Investigation] forensic investigation division to verify or confirm the identity of the deceased ASAP,” he said.
Palabay added that the same task force also investigated the killing of Randy Malayao—like Echanis, a consultant of the National Democratic Force of the Philippines—but more than a year has passed with "no substantial development on Malayao’s case."
"How can there be trust with this task force when the police are already blatantly pulling all the cruel and wicked maneuvers to obstruct justice for Ka Randy Echanis? This is becoming more and more like a cold-blooded State-sponsored murder being covered up by the police," Palabay said.
AO 35 created the Inter-agency Committee on Extra-legal Killings, Enforced Disappearance, Torture and Other Grave Violations of the Right to Life, Liberty and Security of Persons, which is chaired by the justice secretary.
The administrative order was issued in 2012 to address allegations that state and non-state actors have been "silencing, through violence and intimidation, legitimate dissent and opposition raised by members of the civil society, cause-oriented groups, political movements, people’s and non-government organizations, and by ordinary citizens."
The government has said that only killings covered by AO 35 can be considered extrajudicial.
The murder of Echanis and his neighbor, Louie Tagapia, happened in the wee hours of Monday, in his rented home in Novaliches, Quezon City. The city, like the rest of Metro Manila, is under modified enhanced community quarantine, where quarantine checkpoints and police personnel visibility are standard.
The AO 35 task force investigation has been delayed due to a supposed confusion on the identity of the man killed. Police have been insisting that it was a certain “Manuel Santiago” who was murdered, and not Echanis, despite the peasant leader’s widow positively identifying the corpse on the same day.
CHR-led probe sought
Karapatan called for an independent probe into the case, led by the Commission on Human Rights, that said Tuesday night, launched a probe into the case.
DOJ Undersecretary Markk Perete meanwhile pointed out that the CHR is part of the AO 35 task force mechanism. “Its investigation records normally form part of the case records acted upon by the Task Force,” Perete, also DOJ spokesperson, added.
Perete said the DOJ is still checking whether Malayao’s case records where included in AO 35 investigations.
On Tuesday, the Free Legal Assistance Group urged the police to hand over the investigation to the NBI. Guevarra explained that they cannot order the PNP to take their hands off the case.
"We can’t stop the PNP if they want to investigate on their own. But the task force, or the NBI can do their own parallel investigation," he said.
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