US: Extrajudicial killings alarming

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The United States has expressed concern over the spate of extrajudicial killings in the country sparked by the government’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs.

“We are concerned by reports regarding extrajudicial killings of individuals suspected to have been involved in drug activity in the Philippines,” the US embassy said in a statement yesterday.

Over 500 suspected drug pushers and users have been killed in anti-drug operations or have turned up dead since President Duterte assumed office last June 30.

One of his campaign promises was to stamp out the drug menace in six months.

“Our partnership with the Philippines is based on a shared respect for rule of law, and we will continue to emphasize the importance of this fundamental democratic principle,” the US embassy said.

It also stressed the $32-million grant announced during the recent visit of US Secretary State John Kerry is not a new funding, but a cumulative amount for projects still being implemented.

“Assistance provided by these funds is subject to the same rigorous vetting as our other security assistance,” it said.

“All of our security assistance promotes human rights through training content and by promoting professionalism, due process and the rule of law,” the US embassy added.

“We strongly urge the Philippines to ensure its law enforcement efforts are consistent with its human rights obligations. We strongly believe in the rule of law, due process and respect for universal human rights, and that these principles promote long-term security,” it pointed out.

It also clarified it does not go into details of the invitation for the Philippine chargé d’affaires in Washington to report to the State Department to explain Duterte’s remarks that US Ambassador Philip Goldberg is gay.

“We have seen reports of inappropriate and unacceptable comments made about Ambassador Goldberg, a multi-time ambassador and one of the US Department of State’s most senior diplomats,” the embassy said.

“As stated by Elizabeth Trudeau, director of the Office of Press Relations at US Department of State, the Philippine chargé was asked to come to the State Department so we could directly convey our view that the comments were inappropriate and unacceptable,” it added.

Nevertheless, the US embassy stressed bilateral relations between the US and the Philippines remain strong despite the distractions.

“Our bilateral relationship with the Philippines is broad-ranging, from law enforcement to trade and development cooperation, and counts on vibrant and undeniably strong people-to-people and societal ties. The US-Philippine relationship, one of our most important in the Asia Pacific, has withstood the test of time,” the embassy said.

Also expressing alarm was a new coalition of human rights advocates, which called on the administration not to make its anti-drug war a war against the people.

In a statement, the In Defense of Human Rights and Dignity Movement or iDefend said human rights should never be compromised even in the pursuit of a noble objective by the state like fighting criminality.

Comprising iDefend are 40 non-government organizations promoting human rights.

“Illegal drugs are harmful. But by encouraging the police to use their guns to deal with it is even more dangerous and will not stop the vicious cycle of violence. It only creates a climate of fear, insecurity and helplessness,” iDefend convenor Rose Trajano said.

“We can’t cow in silence when day after day people are being killed. There is no compromise to human rights. We can’t allow this abnormal situation to become normal. We need to have unrelenting courage and determination to defend and to advance our human rights,” Trajano added. 

Meanwhile, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano urged his colleagues to focus on strengthening the Philippine National Police (PNP)’s ability to combat crime, instead of subjecting law enforcers to probe for their alleged role in recent extrajudicial killings.

Cayetano – Duterte’s runningmate in the May elections – was referring to the scheduled investigation into the rising incidents of extrajudicial killings by the Senate committee on justice and human rights; and on public order and illegal drugs chaired by Sens. Leila de Lima and Panfilo Lacson, respectively.

“We have to be responsible here in the Senate because whatever we do here will send a message. The police are not afraid and do we want to use the hearing to strike fear in them? I don’t think that’s right,” Cayetano told reporters.

He agreed that while the government should not turn a blind eye to extrajudicial killings, De Lima should refrain from making sweeping statements and blaming police officials without clear evidence.

He said there were also numerous incidents of extrajudicial killings during the Aquino and Arroyo administrations but they were not labeled as such.

“But if you compare the numbers, you will see that we’ve experienced these killings before. These are usually the things that we sort out before we have a hearing so it doesn’t send a negative impact to our law enforcers,” he said.  – Pia Lee-Brago, Paolo Romero, Romina Cabrera, Christina Mendez