EDITORIAL - Politicized

The Duterte camp is saying that the Marcos administration is throwing everything including the kitchen sink at Vice President Sara Duterte. Government agencies, on the other hand, maintain that ongoing investigations involving the Vice President are not influenced by politics.

Every effort must be made to show that the government agencies are telling the truth. This is not only for the good of the administration but also for the health of the nation and its democratic institutions.

Because of the feuding personalities involved, it is inevitable that people will see politics being injected into the effort to promote transparency and hold public officials accountable for the utilization of people’s money, as well as investigate gross human rights violations in the name of law enforcement. The threat of assassination also involves the two highest officials of the land, so political color is unavoidable.

Even if politics is tossed into the mix, however, there are numerous legitimate issues that the nation cannot let pass, and which deserve to be pursued. Ombudsman Samuel Martires, an appointee of Rodrigo Duterte, may ignore what the two chambers of Congress have unearthed so far in relation to its anti-graft mandate, and instead opt to sit out the political storm until his retirement on Aug. 6 next year. But state probers can pursue other angles in the effort to hold public officials accountable in the handling of people’s money and upholding human rights.

The Department of Justice, Philippine National Police and National Bureau of Investigation have reopened suspected cases of extrajudicial killings in connection with the crackdown on illegal drugs launched in the previous administration. Former president Rodrigo Duterte testified in Congress that he was taking full legal and moral responsibility for the deaths, and said he himself had killed criminal elements in Davao City. Probers are now pursuing possible indictments not just for EJK but also for crimes against humanity under Republic Act 9851.

Probers are also eyeing criminal indictments in connection with the alleged misuse of public funds in the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education under Sara Duterte. State auditors themselves have raised red flags on the fund utilization.

Though these probes involve politicians, they constitute a legitimate pursuit of justice. Even if the politicians are at odds with those currently in power, it doesn’t have to mean that the probe is politicized, as long as due process is followed and the findings will be based on solid evidence.