Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo on Sunday urged the Commission on Human Rights to file cases against police officers believed to have used “excess, unreasonable force” in the conduct of anti-illegal drug operations instead of just resorting to propaganda to destroy the image of the Duterte administration.
In his online commentary show “Counterpoint”, Panelo reminded the CHR of its mandate to file cases against persons perceived to have violated the law.
Panelo said CHR should stop issuing press releases and statements and must pursue its findings.
“Maghain na kayo ng demanda para maparusahan natin. Ang problema kasi ang ginagamit niyo, parang ang lumalabas nagpo-propaganda. (File cases so we can punish them. The problem is you’re just using propaganda),” he said.
“Hindi naman pupuwedeng sa pamamagitan ng mga press release, press statement sasabihin niyo na ganito ang inyong findings. If those are your findings, then sue para itong mga nag-abuso sa inyong pananaw mabigyan na natin ng paglilitis (You can’t just issue press statements about your findings. If those are your findings, then sue (them)so that these abusers can stand trial),” he added.
Panelo also emphasized the importance of presenting enough evidence to ensure that cases filed will not be dismissed.
He shrugged off CHR’s initial findings, showing that police officers had “intent to kill” in how the victims died, saying there were circumstances involved.
The CHR report said there was “an intent to kill” since most victims were shot in the abdomen, torso, and the head.
“Puwede naman habang nagbabaliran, sila’y tumakas at sa pagtakas nila tinamaan na ng mga bala (It might have been that while there was a shooting, the person tried to escape that’s why he was shot that way),” he said.
The CHR earlier investigated nearly 3,300 killings in Metro Manila, Central, and Southern Luzon during police operations and alleged vigilante killings between May 2016 and March 2021.
Of the total, 1,912 people were killed in police operations while 1,382 others died at the hands of unidentified assailants, the report said.
CHR Commissioner Gwendolyn Pimentel Gana said their reports showed “several circumstances and evidence that showed possible abuse of strength and intent to kill” since the nature of the wounds did not indicate that the police did not just try to stop the victim from fighting back.