Bill seeking EJK accountability pushed

MANILA, Philippines — Detained Sen. Leila de Lima’s camp on Sunday said the senator is set to resubmit at the 18th Congress a bill seeking transparency in government and accountability in extrajudicial killings under the Duterte administration.

The opposition senator, known critic of Duterte’s drug war, will refile the Anti-Extrajudicial Killing Bill from detention, citing that it is timely.

“Napapanahon ang Anti-EJK Bill dahil makatutulong ito para maresolba ang libu-libong patayan sa panahon ni Mr. Duterte at maparusahan ang mga nasa likod nito,” De Lima said.

(The Anti-EJK Bill is timely because it will help resolve the thousands of killings under Duterte’s regime and to penalize those behind it.)

De Lima first filed the Anti-EJK Bill or Senate Bill 1197 in October 2016.

READ: De Lima files anti-extrajudicial killing bill

The measure seeks to strengthen the Commission on Human Rights, the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police in investigating extrajudicial killings. It seeks to ensure that policemen will have the highest regard for human rights and rule of law in the exercise of its mandate.

It also defines extrajudicial killing as the "unlawful, and deliberate killing of targeted individuals or groups thereof, carried out by agents of the State and under its order or acquiescence in lieu of arrest, investigation and prosecution."

De Lima earlier chided PNP Director-General Oscar Albayalde for his claim that the government is winning its “War on Drugs” amid the latest killing of a three-year-old named Kateleen Myca Ulpina in a buy-bust operation in Rodriguez, Rizal.

The former human rights lawyer said Albayalde’s pronouncement “is the latest in the long list of lies propagated by the Duterte regime to divert the public’s attention away from the thousands of extrajudicial killings emanating from its all-out war against drugs.”

Last month, the PNP said at least 6,600 drug suspects were killed in police operations since Duterte assumed office on July 1, 2016. The figure covers the number of killings until May 31, 2019.

International and local human rights groups, however, estimated the number of killings at 20,000.

Meanwhile, aside from the Anti-EJK bill, De Lima will also refile the bills amending the Bank Secrecy Law to cover government officials and establishing a Joint Congressional Intelligence Committee to scrutinize the use of intelligence fund.

The opposition senator said she wanted to ensure that intelligence funds are being used “to conduct legitimate intelligence activities, especially in connection with the government’s war on illegal drugs.”

De Lima has been detained since February 2017 for her alleged involvement in drug trading and protection of drug traders.  — Rosette Adel