Cops cool to PNP human rights office

MANILA, Philippines - Some police officers are reluctant to join the unit of the Philippine National Police Human Rights Affairs Office (HRAO) due to the abuses allegedly being committed in the government’s war on illegal drugs.

The HRAO only has 23 staffers composed of two police officials and 21 personnel, which is way below the unit’s ideal manpower of 12 police officials and 48 police officers.

A police official who spoke on condition of anonymity said HRAO has enough funds under the leadership of PNP chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa, unlike in past administrations when the unit had to operate with meager resources.

The official said the problem is that few police officers are willing to join HRAO since human rights became a controversial topic in the country.

“Who wants to face people like you and discuss the issue of human rights?” the source said.

President Duterte’s crackdown on illegal drugs has resulted in the deaths of around 2,600 suspected drug dealers and users in police operations in the first seven months of his administration.

A total of 6,011 killings that police described as homicides occurred during the same period. Of this number, 1,398 cases were confirmed to be drug-related while 3,785 are still being investigated.

The anti-drug operations were suspended in January after some police officers were implicated in alleged wrongdoings, among them anti-narcotics officers who allegedly kidnapped and killed South Korean businessman Jee Ick-Joo last year.

Other police operatives from Angeles City, Pampanga were sacked from their posts after they allegedly extorted money from three South Koreans, also in 2016.

Since the resumption of anti-drug operations last month, 118 more drug dealers and users were killed after they allegedly fought back and endangered the lives of police officers.

Aside from the reported involvement of police scalawags in criminal activities using the drug war as a cover for their nefarious activities, the lingering issue of policemen indiscriminately killing drug suspects have dissuaded members of the police force from joining HRAO.

There were instances were officers of HRAO would conduct lectures in the hope of enticing police officers to join them. However, nobody would still volunteer, thinking they would defend the killings on the ground.

“Who would want that? It’s the truth,” the source said.

Among HRAO’s tasks is to conduct seminars in police regional offices where there are high numbers of violations of human rights and police operational procedures by police officers.

The HRAO previously reported that at least 56 police officers are facing complaints for human rights violations in the first two months of the year, more than half of the 105 cases recorded in 2016.

Most of the offenses were homicide and unlawful arrest. Topping the list is the Ilocos region with 16, followed by Northern Mindanao with 10 and Metro Manila with nine.

In 2015, some 131 police officers were involved in 43 cases of human rights abuse. In 2014, 174 police officers figured in 73 cases.

Most of the offenses were murder involving 27 police officers, homicide with 19, violation of domicile with nine, arbitrary detention with five and rape with five.