JUSTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Thursday, March 11, 2021, said he will endorse the investigation into the killing of activists in Calabarzon to the inter-agency committee tasked to prosecute politically motivated killings.
Guevarra was referring to the inter-agency committee on extra-legal killings and forced disappearance, torture and other grave violation on the right to life, liberty and security of persons, which was created by Administrative Order (AO) 35 of 2012.
He said there was “sufficient evidence that the victims were members of cause-oriented groups carrying out legitimate dissent.”
Under the AO 35 mechanism, the conduct of investigation will be led by a prosecutor. The “special” investigating team will also be composed of law enforcers.
Among the cases being investigated by the committee were the killings of activist Zara Alvarez in Bacolod City and National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) consultant Randall “Randy” Echanis in Quezon City, both in August 2020.
The Philippine National Police earlier maintained that the nine individuals were killed after they engaged police and military elements in a firefight to evade arrest during the service of search warrants for illegal firearms.
The police conducted simultaneous operations in Cavite, Laguna, Rizal and Batangas in Calabarzon on March 7, 2021.
Progressive groups have rejected the police claims, saying that the simultaneous raids were part of the government’s crackdown against critics, especially members of activists.
The raids were conducted two days after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered police and military units to kill armed communist rebels and ignore human rights.
The Commission on Human Rights has already launched an investigation on the matter.
Guevarra has also ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct an investigation.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), meanwhile, said it was “appalled” by the “apparently simultaneous arbitrary killings” of activists.
The European Union delegation in the Philippines raised concern over the use of excessive force against individuals and over the alleged irregularities in the law enforcement operations in the country.
While the EU welcomed the country’s assurance to conduct investigation on the incidents, it said the government should ensure that liability should be "in accordance with due process under national courts of law and in full compliance with its international human rights obligations." (SunStar Philippines)