THE Negros Island has a new moniker. Forget Sugar Island. Or Buglas, its old name.
Now it can be called Murder Island. San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza noted that the 84th extrajudicial killing victim in Negros since President Duterte came to power.
No less than the head of the Philippine National Police (PNP) took note as PNP chief General Oscar Albayalde ordered the deployment of 300 Special Action Force commandos to Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental provinces.
Albayalde blamed the killings on the NPA rebels. But not so fast.
Has there been any investigation whodunit? Sixteen people were gunned down by armed men in Negros Oriental last week. I wouldn’t have a problem with Albayalde’s allegation if the victims are soldiers, the police or paramilitary. But among the victims were a lawyer, school principal, education official and barangay chair.
Last I checked this week on social media, there seemed to be no need for paper trails, according to the PNP. No materials that can provide official information or evidence that serves as a record. The PNP said the verbal instructions are enough. The PCSO itself said it will abide by the directive even without any written document.
Of course, social media is inadmissible as evidence in court. But it has proven its worth as a source of information. Or sadly, as a source of fake news.
Look at this. Neophyte Senator Francis Tolentino, who has been touting his expertise in international law, delivered his first Senate privilege speech which centered on President Rodrigo Duterte’s agreement with China.
Tolentino insisted that Duterte “was well within his powers” when he entered an “oral agreement” with Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2016.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon disputed his arguments.
Drilon, during the interpellation, questioned Tolentino about the details of the supposed verbal agreement entered into by Duterte, to which Tolentino said he based his proposition on mere “anecdotal” media reports.
“If we do not know exactly the parameters of the oral agreement, how can we say that is valid under international law, that it is valid under the Constitution, so we do not know the parameters of this agreement,” Drilon pointed out.
Can we get back to fundamentals? The art and science of police investigation. The first police crime laboratory pioneered by Edmond Locard. According to Locard’s “exchange principle,” it is impossible for criminals to escape a crime scene without leaving behind trace evidence that can be used to identify them. That principle gave rise to the forensic sciences, which are the accumulated methods for developing and analyzing physical evidence from crime scenes.
So far, I heard none of Locard’s theories in the discussions.