spot_img
28.1 C
Philippines
Friday, March 29, 2024

Palace vows to issue drug war report

- Advertisement -

Malacañang assured Filipinos it would make public the Department of Justice findings on the government’s  war against illegal drugs once the investigation had been finished and cases filed.

In a press briefing, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the DOJ would not hide  anything because when the investigation had been completed and cases filed, the documents would be made public because all files submitted to the judicial system are public documents.

The DOJ will lead an inter-agency panel to review the alleged summary killings of suspected drug pushers and users in the government campaign against illegal drugs.

In the same press briefing,  Roque said it would be difficult for the International Criminal Court to “uncover the truth” in the war drug because the Philippine government would not cooperate with the ICC on its probe.

Roque issued the statement after ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said that a probe into  Duterte's drug war would uncover the truth and hold accountability  for those alleged human rights violators.

- Advertisement -

Khan said the ICC would focus its efforts on ensuring "a successful, independent and impartial investigation."

“Without the cooperation of the State, it will be difficult for them to uncover the truth. For me, if they have complaints about the drug war, they must file it here in the Philippines so that justice will be served,” Roque said.

In related developments, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the government would make public the results of the review done by the DOJ on cases involving deaths in illegal drugs operations.

"The government has no intention of keeping its review and investigation of the anti-illegal drugs campaign secret, as this matter is openly reported to the people as the process goes along,” Guevarra said, in a text message to reporters.

Malacañang has repeatedly insisted that the ICC had no jurisdiction over the Philippines.

Despite the Philippines ' withdrawal from ICC, Khan said his office “retains jurisdiction” with respect to alleged crimes that happened in the Philippines while it was a state party from Nov. 1, 2011 to March 16, 2019.

The probe will cover the conduct of the drug war in the Philippines under Duterte’s watch, as well as the supposed killings in Davao City between 2011 and 2016 when he was still the mayor.

Khan, for his part, said earlier his office would depend on the cooperation of states, civil societies and their other partners in the probe.

Khan's predecessor Fatou Bensouda had requested the ICC to conduct a probe into the crimes committed in the Philippines from Nov. 1, 2011 in the context of the anti-drug campaign under the Duterte administration.

Guevarra made the statement after the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet encouraged the Philippine government to publish “panel’s findings so its work can be evaluated.”

The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers through its president Edre Olalia has backed up Bachelet’s call, saying “we subscribe to the need to publish the findings of the rather belated ‘investigations’ by the Philippine government on the paltry cases related to the ‘drug war’ so it can be ‘evaluated’ and to ensure transparency."

The DOJ had finished its review of the records of the initial 52 cases turned over by the Philippine National Police and had submitted the results to President Duterte. One of the 52 cases was not on illegal drugs.

- Advertisement -

LATEST NEWS

Popular Articles