Palace mum on WikiLeaks report

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang refused to comment on a report published by WikiLeaks which said that President Duterte once “admitted complicity” in vigilante killings when he was still mayor of Davao City.

Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said he has not seen the report although it was forwarded to him.

“I forwarded the report to the office of Secretary (Hermogenes) Esperon. I have not read the entire report,” Andanar said in a radio interview yesterday, referring to the national security adviser.

The confidential cable, which was published on May 8, 2009 and written by then US ambassador Kristie Kenney, shows details of the investigation into possible human rights violations in Davao City.

The cable was titled “Davao officials deny vigilante killings, but human rights commission blames mayor.”

In the report, Kenney said that “while international attention on the killings has been elevated as a result of the Human Rights Watch report, noticeably absent is public outrage among Davao residents.”

“Combined with Mayor Duterte’s tight control, this public apathy prevents civil society groups from being more aggressive in tackling the issue. With the police failing to make any progress on investigations, the CHR (Commission on Human Rights) and civil society groups have become the primary advocates on the issue,” Kenney wrote.

“The CHR’s effectiveness – and its ultimate success or failure – will be determined by its ability to cobble together enough witnesses to make strong cases. The CHR, in order to withstand Duterte’s anticipated attacks, must also successfully marshal support at the national level from the Department of Justice and Philippine National Police in order to push cases forward to prosecution,” she added.

“Following the upcoming issuance of the CHR report, the mission will carefully assess the most viable channels for targeted USG (US government) assistance to help civil society groups, the CHR, or other Philippine institutions pursue credible investigations of the Davao vigilante killings,” Kenney concluded.

A Rappler report said the US embassy refused to confirm the WikiLeaks report and quoted press attaché Molly Koscina as saying, “We do not comment on the substance or authenticity of materials, including allegedly classified documents, which may have been leaked.”

In the WikiLeaks report, Kenney quoted statements from then CHR regional director Alberto Sipaco Jr. “CHR regional director Alberto Sipaco (strictly protect) at a private meeting affirmed that Mayor Duterte knows about the killings and permits them. Recounting a conversation he once had with Duterte, who is his close friend and former fraternity brother, Sipaco said he pleaded with the mayor to stop vigilante killings and support other methods to reduce crime, like rehabilitation programs for offenders,” Kenney wrote.

“According to Sipaco, the mayor responded, ‘I’m not done yet’,” Kenney said.

Sipaco reportedly said that he “repeatedly attempted to reason with Duterte that the killings were unlawful and detrimental to society, but Duterte refused to broach the issue.”

“Sipaco expressed a sense of helplessness over the killings, as well as concern for his personal safety, but acknowledged that the CHR was taking its mission in Davao seriously,” Kenney said.

The report also showed Sipaco illustrating how Duterte came to dislike drugs and its traders in the Philippines.

“Sipaco noted that Mayor Duterte’s visible rage against crime and drugs stemmed from family history: Sipaco claimed that one of Duterte’s two sons previously abused drugs, and the mayor channeled his anger over his son’s drug use not just against drug pushers, but also drug users, eventually leading him to embrace vigilante killings as a means to reduce crime,” the report read.

It added that Duterte’s “tough anti-crime rhetoric became the hallmark of his governance style” and that Davao residents perceived a marked improvement in public safety under his tenure.