‘Human rights protection remains priority of lawmen’

Interior and Local Government Secretary Angelo Reyes said yesterday the protection of human rights, particularly among peace loving citizens, remains the main concern of the department and law enforcement agencies in their daily war against all forms of criminality.

Emerging from a closed door meeting with Commission on Human Rights (CHR) chairwoman Purificacion Quisumbing at the CHR central office on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City, Reyes said the DILG and the CHR have the same mandate and objective in upholding the rights of the people.

"We came here to express our willingness to cooperate and provide the CHR all the support in their effort to ferret out the truth," Reyes said.

The meeting was held in connection with the ongoing investigation of the CHR on the alleged rubout of three suspected carjackers at the hands of Traffic Management Group (TMG) operatives last Nov. 7

Reyes, who was accompanied by top PNP officials, assured Quisumbing that law enforcement agencies would help the CHR arrive at the truth in the wake of conflicting accounts of the encounter.

Questions were raised when footage taken by a TV news crew showed TMG officers repeatedly firing at the three suspects even though they were already slumped inside their vehicle.

Reyes said the PNP is conducting its own investigation and will provide the human rights body copies of the report.

The DILG chief said he still believes the encounter was the result of a legitimate police operation against an organized crime group.

However, if the TMG operatives are found to have violated certain rules of engagement, "then they must be held accountable for their action."

Reyes gave his assurance that there would be no whitewash to cover up any wrongdoing by the officers, which he said continue to risk their lives to ensure the rights of peace loving citizens are protected.

The CHR, for its part, welcomed the cooperation of the DILG in their investigation and vowed to fast track its probe on the shootout.

Quisumbing said that after the meeting with Reyes and officials of the PNP, certain issues and concerns have been clarified.

She announced that the two government agencies have set up a communication line to address the problems arising from alleged violations of human rights, particularly against suspected criminals.

"We are very pleased and have agreed to keep open communication lines for consultation and prevention of certain problems," Quisumbing said.

In order to sped up the investigation, the CHR has summoned the UNTV cameraman to appear at a public hearing today.

Members of the TMG involved in police operation have also been ordered to appear before the body.

Legitimate operation

hilippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Arturo Lomibao tossed yesterday to the Internal Affairs Service (IAS) the result of the initial investigation into the killing of three suspected carjackers.

Lomibao did not announce the content of the report of the weeklong investigation conducted by the fact-finding committee he created.

However, IAS Inspector General Alexis Canonizado, who scanned the report, said the fact-finding body headed by Senior Superintendent Luisito Maralit ruled that the Nov. 7 shootout was "legitimate."

Lomibao justified yesterday his decision to ask IAS to conduct its own investigation into the killing of Brian Anthony Dulay, Antonio Cu-Unjieng and Francis Xavier Manzano during a shootout in Pasig City.

"While some sectors have urged the PNP to speed up the investigation so as not to stall the anti-carnapping operations, others are clamoring for a more thorough and exhaustive investigation by an impartial and independent body, hence, I am turning over the investigation to the IAS," the PNP chief said.

Chief Inspector Joseph Orsos, spokesman of the fact-finding committee, said they submitted the result of the investigation to Lomibao last Tuesday night. Without revealing the content of the report, he added that the panel came out with only a conclusion and no recommendation.

Chief Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil, PNP spokesman, was quick to clarify that Lomibao’s decision to let the IAS investigate the case does not mean he was dissatisfied with the result of the probe.

"The PNP chief is very sensitive on certain issues and concerns, including those on welfare and morale, which could be the reason why he asked an independent and impartial body to look into the case," Bataoil said.

In an interview, Canonizado said he has formed a three-man panel, headed by IAS-NCR chief Senior Superintendent Joselito Casugbu, to verify the result of the fact-finding inquiry.

He gave his assurance that the IAS would be coming up with an impartial and fair recommendation.