Panelo: EJKs done by drug syndicates

MANILA, Philippines — Extrajudicial killings or EJKs in the country were perpetrated by drug syndicates, President Duterte’s chief legal adviser insisted yesterday, as he accused critics of twisting the Chief Executive’s statements to smear him.

Duterte, known for his tough talk and off-the-cuff remarks, sparked controversy anew last week after he claimed that his “only sin is EJK” – to emphasize that he was never into corruption.

Critics have pounced on the statement, maintaining that it had affirmed claims that Duterte ordered the summary execution of drug suspects.

But chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo claimed that the President’s statement was not an admission and blamed the killings on illegal drug rings.

“Extrajudicial killings are the result of members of the drug syndicates killing each other due to fraud in their dealings as well as a means of protecting and avenging themselves from whistleblowers,” Panelo said in a statement.

“The fact that policemen are killed in anti-drug operations shows that the drug lords and pushers use violence in resisting arrest as well as putting the lives of the arresting officers in peril; hence their application of lawful self defense,” Panelo added.

Panelo said allegations that Duterte ordered extrajudicial killings are “baseless.” With Duterte’s latest comment, Panelo added that the President’s “usual incorrigible critics and detractors” have found another “arsenal” within which to put the Chief Executive in a bad light.

“It is only the baseless allegation of (Duterte) being behind the extrajudicial killings that appears to tar his governance. That was what he meant when he made the aforesaid statement, the meaning of which is now, as always, being twisted by the perennial nitpickers of his uncommon lingua franca,” Panelo said.

“Obviously the President being a Visayan is not adept at expressing himself in (Filipino). The President will not stop at continuing his war against illegal drugs, a duty imposed on him by the Constitution,” Panelo added.

Panelo said Duterte had declared in his first State of the Nation Address that “there would be hell to pay against those who abuse their authority because they become worse than criminality itself.”

“What (Duterte) meant when he made that utterance was that from day one of his presidency he could not be accused of corruption. Nor could he be blamed for persecuting anyone or putting anybody to jail. He has nothing to do with few of his critics being placed in jail or facing the brunt of the law,” Panelo said.

“That happenstance as properly belongs to another branch of the government, which he does not have control of nor is he inclined to influence. Interference with a co-equal body is simply out of his character,” Panelo added.

Panelo said the recent survey suggesting that a majority of Filipinos support the anti-drug war validated the “success and effectiveness” of the campaign.

A Social Weather Stations survey conducted from June 27 to 30 suggested that 78 percent of Filipinos are satisfied with the crackdown while only 13 percent are not, for a net satisfaction rating of +65.

“Rather than maliciously and continuously paint the dismantling of the drug apparatus as a crime against humanity, the purveyors of the status quo should instead view it as a forceful legal method of saving a generation from drug addiction and ruin,” Panelo said.

“For once in their lives they should contribute to its triumph by assisting the government in its fight against the destroyers of society, for they may well be saving themselves and their families from the scourge of illegal drugs,” Panelo added.

‘Admission of guilt is evidence’

But Vice President Leni Robredo yesterday said Duterte’s latest remark on extrajudicial killings could serve as evidence in the International Criminal Court (ICC) probe into his role in the deaths of thousands of individuals related to his anti-illegal drug campaign.

“(Duterte’s admission of EJKs) is very important. Because many people have been saying that there is EJK but the government is denying it. Now it’s the President himself who said that his only sin was EJK,” Robredo said in an interview with dzXL.

“It can be used as evidence. There’s no stronger evidence than admission of guilt,” Robredo, a lawyer, said.

For his part, Sen. Richard Gordon believes Duterte was trying to sustain his tough image when he supposedly admitted his “sin” on the occurrence of extrajudicial killings in the country.

Gordon, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, stood by the report of his panel in 2016 finding no evidence that the drug-related extrajudicial killings were state-sponsored.

Gordon said he believes that Duterte was simply venting his frustration over the prevalence of illegal drugs but was aware of the implications of his controversial statement, being a lawyer.

“(Duterte) has to maintain his toughness… If I were his lawyer, that (statement) is not an admission (of his involvement in extrajudicial killings),” the senator told dzBB.

But critics warned that they were going to use the President’s remarks as additional evidence to press the ICC to investigate the President.

 Gordon said those who want to bring the matter to the ICC may be ill-advised.

“No person can be a witness against himself. You have to have a lawyer when you confess. (Duterte) is a lawyer, he should know,” Gordon said.

Gordon said Duterte’s statement can only be used if there is accompanying evidence to prove it.

“It can only be used if there will be other proof,” Gordon said.

Gordon pointed out that Duterte has been making statements even during the electoral campaign in 2016 that his critics found to be incriminating like warning drug pushers that they will be killed.

 Gordon had advised the President in the past to be more circumspect in his statements. – With Helen Flores, Paolo Romero