|
Monday, April 02, 2007
Group wants soldiers linked to killings named
MANILA -- A member of the administration coalition asked the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Sunday to identify the soldiers being investigated for alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings.
The Partido Demokratikong Sosyalista ng Pilipinas (PDSP) said the AFP needs to identify the soldiers to prove they are doing something to address the issue on the killings.
Pinoy Votes: Sun.Star Election 2007 Coverage
Father Romeo Intengan, a Jesuit priest and co-founder of PDSP with National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, said the credibility of the AFP is being damaged by suspicions of involvement in the killings.
“For their own credibility and efficacy, military officials should investigate who these soldiers or groups behind the killings are. The AFP will increase its credibility if it takes further measures to look into charges that a small number of its members are involved in the unexplained killings,” he said.
He said that while they believe that extrajudicial killing is not a policy of the government or the military, it is best for the AFP to conduct its investigation and make public their findings. He said the need for an investigation is highlighted by results of fact-finding investigations, both by local and foreign groups, that said the AFP is partly to blame for the killings.
Outraged
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye, in his weekly column “View from the Palace,” said the government is both concerned and outraged by the “senseless killings” of journalists, activists and government figures.
Bunye said the government has taken steps to solve the cases and prevent the repeat of these incidents.
He said among the steps done by the government are the “formation of a special enforcement task force to work with the victims’ families in investigating cases, creation by the Supreme Court of special courts to deal with cases on extrajudicial killings, and sharing of a database to fast track efforts to solve these killings between the Commission on Human Rights and the Presidential Human Rights Committee.”
“We also look forward to the completion of the Melo Commission’s report and welcome offers of assistance from allies in the international community,” he said. (JMR/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Manila. (April 2, 2007 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
Mexico architect denies tax evasion charges