Palace allays Pinoys’ fears of extrajudicial killings

MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos who are not involved in illegal drugs have nothing to fear, Malacañang said yesterday, after a nationwide survey suggested that a majority are worried about becoming victims of extrajudicial killings.

A Social Weather Stations (SWS) poll conducted on Dec. 16-19 indicated that 78 percent of Filipinos are worried that they or someone they know would become victims of extrajudicial killing, higher than the 73 percent recorded in June.

Only 22 percent said they are not worried, down from 27 percent previously, according to the survey, which had 1,440 respondents and a margin of error of ±2.6 percent for national figures.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said the results of the survey are not surprising because some members of drug syndicates were killed in law enforcement operations.

“Hindi yan kataka-taka dahil may mga namamatay sa mga drug buy bust operation, pero kung hindi naman sila involved, wala silang dapat ikabahala (That should not come as a surprise. But if they are not involved, they do not have to be afraid),” Panelo said in a radio interview.

More than 5,000 people have died since President Duterte waged a war on illegal drugs in 2016, according to police data. While human rights groups claim the crackdown has resulted in extrajudicial killings, officials refuse to use the term to refer to deaths tied to the anti-narcotics campaign.

They pointed out that the Commission on Human Rights had adopted Administrative Order No. 35, which did not include criminals in its definition of extrajudicial killing.

Under the order, which was issued by former president Benigno Aquino III in 2012, extrajudicial killings refer to killings in which the victim was a member of or affiliated with a group pushing for a political, labor, environmental, agrarian or similar causes; an advocate of such causes; a media practitioner, or persons apparently mistaken or identified to be so.

Duterte has said he would not tolerate extrajudicial killings and other abuses but has also vowed to protect policemen and soldiers who would face charges in connection with the campaign.

Despite criticisms against the drug war, Panelo said the administration is bent on implementing the campaign, echoing Duterte’s claim that the number of drug addicts has risen to about seven million. The President has not revealed where he got the figure.