Revision of Oplan Double Barrel sought

MANILA, Philippines – The Duterte government needs to immediately address reported defects of the Philippine National Police (PNP)’s Oplan Double Barrel, if it has any intention to stop extrajudicial killings in the country, Sen. Leila de Lima said yesterday.

Oplan Double Barrel refers to the PNP’s campaign to purge the country of illegal drugs. Double barrel means one touch of a gun’s barrel sets off two triggers, one for high-value targets and one for street-level individuals.

In a statement, De Lima cited the “Alternate Report” submitted by the Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC) to the United Nations Human Rights Council for its 3rd Cycle of the 27th Session.

The report, posted on the website of Ateneo de Manila University’s School of Law on Oct. 14, tackled four key issues: vague legal definition of extrajudicial killings; due process of law; presumption of regularity and command responsibility; and accountability and impunity.

“The government should take heed of the recommendations after its so-called war on drugs has been assessed and evaluated to have failed in addressing extrajudicial and summary killings in the country,” De Lima said.

In its report, the AHRC noted that the administration failed in addressing extrajudicial and summary killings because it was more concerned on “winning the war on drugs, rather than investigating and preventing these killings.” 

It pointed out defects in the implementation of the “Double Barrel Project” which, as of Sept. 15, has found 986 people dead since June 30, including innocent individuals like children, treated as “collateral damage” in the anti-illegal drug campaign.