CHR task force looking into drug war testimonies

MANILA, Philippines — The task force created by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to investigate the previous administration’s deadly campaign against illegal drugs will look into the testimonies of former president Rodrigo Duterte and other resource persons attending the ongoing congressional hearings.

In a radio interview yesterday, CHR Chairman Richard Palpal-latoc said the task force was created to identify officials involved in the killings committed in relation to the so-called war against illegal drugs.

Palpal-latoc added that testimonies during the ongoing hearings, including statements made by Duterte before the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee on Monday, would be taken into account in their investigation.

“Whatever was stated there, not just by president Duterte, but also by the other witnesses, we took note of them. That will be part of our investigation,” Palpal-latoc said over radio dzBB.

“Our focus right now is the killings in relation to the drug war… The report that we previously released is more on policy recommendations to stop it and prevent a repeat of what happened, but we have yet to identify who are accountable,” he added.

The CHR chairman was referring to the report released by the previous CHR leadership, which identified lapses and violations in the conduct of the campaign against illegal drugs.

The report, released in April 2022, concluded that the government failed in its obligation to respect and protect the human rights of victims of drug-related killings.

“A review of the killings in the context of operations by law enforcers shows a pattern of police operatives claiming to have acted in self-defense against the victims, who allegedly either pulled out a gun to shoot the operatives or tried to grab the gun of an operative,” the 48-page report stated.

“Contrary to claims of self-defense, available information indicated intent to kill by the police operatives and disproportionality of force used to repel aggression – with the fatal location and number of gunshot wounds sustained by the victims,” it added.

Palpal-latoc noted the difficulties encountered by the previous commission, especially in accessing documents from the police, such as the reports filed after the drug operations.

He said they are looking at using the commission’s subpoena powers to access the said files.

“One of our objectives is to determine who are the accountable officers,” he added.

In a statement earlier this month, the CHR noted that testimonies during the ongoing quad committee hearings at the House of Representatives affirmed their earlier findings.

For instance, the commission found that police operatives involved in the campaign “are either to be awarded, rewarded or recognized.”

“We reiterate the urgency of thoroughly investigating this reward system, as it is crucial in understanding the scope and depth of the violations committed during the campaign,” the CHR statement read.