Albayalde hits back at CHR

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Albayalde has hit back at the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) after it questioned his claim that the police force is 98 percent compliant with human rights standards in their anti-illegal drugs operations.

“What else do they want?” Albayalde said in Filipino, claiming the PNP is already submitting regular reports to the CHR on its anti-illegal drug operations through its own human rights office. 

“We have been sharing already everything with the CHR. I dont know what else they want, we have regular reports for the CHR,” he said. 

He said if the CHR doubts their review, the commission should just ask the independent Internal Affairs Service that is investigationg the police operations, especially those that led to fatalities. 

Albayalde earlier claimed that the PNP had investigated 98 percent of its operations over the first 10 months of 2018 and found that the police operatives have been compliant with human rights standards. 

The figure came out during a review by the PNP’s own human rights affairs office on anti-drug operations conducted from January to October 2018 following criticism on the more than 5,760 drug personalities killed in the drug war. 

CHR chairman Chito Gascon said Albayalde’s claim could only be confirmed if the PNP makes good on its promise to release data on the drug campaign.

Gascon said the assertion could be described as “self-serving and perhaps aspirational,” as the CHR could not independently confirm Albayalde’s claim without data. 

The PNP chief said they know that their anti-illegal drug operations are not perfect, that is why more than 400 personnel have been filed with human rights violations. 

The CHR also urged the Philippine government to constructively view the recent report of New York-based watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) on the situation in the Philippines.

“The CHR takes note of the report of the HRW on the state of the Philippines, describing a ‘deepened’ human rights crisis in 2018,” CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said on Friday. – With Janvic Mateo