Local officials blamed for Davao killings

MANILA, Philippines - Davao Archbishop Fernando Capalla has put the blame on government officials for tolerating the proliferation of so-called Davao City death squads allegedly responsible for summary executions in the city.

Capalla told CBCPNews, the official news service provider of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), that local officials should be made accountable for the injustice in Davao City.

In a span of 10 years from 1998 to March 2009, the number of victims of the liquidation groups has reportedly reached 890.

“Surely, the local government can be blamed for tolerating it (the killings). Who is responsible for keeping the peace and implementing the law, isn’t it the law enforcers? But they seem to allow people to take the law into their own hands. And if you have people taking the law into their hands, they are responsible, are they not?” Capalla added.

He issued the statement after the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that while Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte continues to deny having any link to the vigilante group, he gives it his tacit support.