ANY member of the Philippine National Police (PNP) found wielding "excessive use of force" in legitimate anti-drug operations will face charges, Malacañang assured Tuesday, April 24.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr., who also serves as President Rodrigo Duterte's adviser on human rights, revealed that he is currently keeping in touch with the PNP for the proper documentation of drug-related deaths recorded during the conduct of anti-narcotics police operations.
In two or three months, Roque said the public could expect the filing of cases against police officers who will be found accountable over the unlawful killings of alleged drug suspects in the country.
"As a presidential adviser, I've actualy coordinated with the police to document each of the killings that they have reported, and actually make sure that there is no basis to prosecute our men in uniform, in connection with any of these killings. We're halfway done," he told Palace reporters.
“If there's reason to file charges against the killers, then I will encourage the filing of charges... So I foresee that in the next two to three months, we should be finished and we should come up with a report of how many should be charged, if any,” Roque added.
Roque issued the remark in the light of recent calls by the European Parliament and the United States’ (US) Department of State to put an end to the spate of deaths attributed to Duterte’s deadly anti-narcotics war.
The European lawmakers, in a resolution, appealed to the Philippine government to stop the killings.
The US State Department, on the other hand, noted that exrajudicial killings of suspected drug personalities in the Philippines remain a “chief human rights concern.”
At least 13 people were reportedly killed in simultaneous police operations in Bulacan province on April 20, or just a day after PNP chief Oscar Albayalde assumed office.
Roque reiterated that while Duterte vowed to stand by the police officials who are merely performing their duties, the Commander-in-Chief would not hesitate to order the arrest of those who are committing acts "outside their official functions."
He was also confident that with Albayalde’s cooperation, the government would be able to prove that Duterte’s drug war is conducted “in a legal manner.”
“I will have a file each for every killing reported by the PNP, indicating that there is no excessive use of force... I think General Albayalde will even be more cooperative in this regard because he really wants promote discipline amongst the ranks of the PNP. He will hasten the process,” he said.
“There will come a time when we can confidently say we have the data, we have the facts, and we are confidently able to say all the killings were done in a legal manner,” he added. (SunStar Philippines)