The Philippine National Police (PNP) welcomed on Wednesday (Oct. 20) the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) decision to release the summaries of the 52 cases it reviewed in connection with deaths related to the police’s aggressive campaign against illegal drugs.
PNP Chief Police Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said the DOJ decision under Justice Sec. Menardo Guevarra is consistent with the PNP stand for transparency and accountability in the police organization.
“We welcome the decision of the Department of Justice to release these documents to the public,” Eleazar said.
“Simula pa lang ay lubos na ang ating kooperasyon sa DOJ sa pamumuno ni Secretary Menardo Guevarra sa pamamagitan ng ating SILG [Secretary of the Interior and Local Government] Eduardo Año, at ipinaubaya na natin sa kanila ang desisyon tungkol sa mga kasong ito in the interest of truth, transparency, and justice.”
The PNP chief, however, noted both the sacrifices of policemen on the ground and the accomplishments of the campaign against illegal drugs.
Among them, he said, is the fact that the campaign against illegal drugs resulted in the confiscation of multi-billion pesos worth of illegal drugs, the neutralization of key players in the illegal drugs trade in the country, and the dismantling of shabu (crystal methamphetamine) laboratories in the country.
Eleazar added that the aggressive campaign against illegal drugs also resulted in the unprecedented 64% decrease in index crime in the last five years.
“Marami rin sa aming hanay ang nagbuwis ng buhay sa mga operasyong ito, kaya nararapat lamang na mabigyan din sila ng hustisya sa mga maling paratang tungkol dito. At huwag din nating kakalimutan ang mga sakripisyo ng inyong kapulisan na nagresulta sa pagkakakumpiska ng bilyong-bilyong halaga ng mga ilegal na droga,” Eleazar said.
According to the DOJ, the summaries that will be released will include docket numbers, names of deceased suspects, places and dates of the incidents, and the review panel’s summary of observations on the cases.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is set to conduct a case buildup for the possible filing of criminal charges against erring police officers. The PNP and the NBI are set to ink a memorandum of agreement to jointly investigate drug war deaths.
Eleazar also urged the victims to cooperate in holding policemen who committed abuses accountable for their action.
“Ito rin ang pagkakataon para sa mga pamilya ng [mga] nasawi sa police anti-illegal drug operation para sila’y makapagsumite ng complaint-affidavit, o kaya’y magharap ng testigo upang maisampa ang kaukulang kasong kriminal sa korte. Tinitiyak ko ang buong pakikipagtulungan ng PNP sa NBI. Walang mangyayaring takipan at ating pananagutin ang may dapat panagutan,” Eleazar said.
He also reminded PNP personnel to strictly and continuously follow police operational procedures in order to ensure that they do not get into trouble in the performance of their mandate of maintaining peace and order in the country.
“Let this serves as a lesson to all our personnel that as police officers, we are law enforcers who are duty-bound to uphold the law. Tagapagpatupad tayo ng batas, hindi tayo ang batas,” Eleazar said.
“Always remember that the true courage of a police officer is measured by how he keeps his integrity and moral values intact amid the temptation and the pressure to commit abuses and disregard the rule of law,” he added. (PNP-PIO) – jlo
