Rise Up for Life welcomes UN move to probe Philippine drug war killings

WAITING FOR JUSTICE Pictures of victims of extrajudicial killings in the war on drugs are displayed at a church in Tondo, Manila, in this file photo. INQUIRER file photo / AIE BALAGTAS SEE

MANILA, Philippines — An alliance of human rights has welcomed the initiative of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to conduct an independent investigation into the numerous cases of drug-related killings in the Philippines.

“Ang nais naming ipahayag, welcome po ang ganitong initative at kinakailangan ng mga mamamayang Pilipino partikular ang mga namatayan ng mahal sa buhay dahil sa war on drugs,” Rubylin Litao, Rise Up for Life and for Rights coordinator, said in an ambush interview in Quezon City on Saturday.

READ: Rare joint statement of UN rapporteurs calls for probe of PH killings

Litao said the human rights group already filed four cases of drug-related killings involving policemen before the Ombudsman.

“‘Yung initiative [ng] Rise Up For Life [sa] pagpa-file ng cases sa Ombudsman… sa pagaayos po ng Rise Up meron kaming nasampa na apat [na kaso] dahil ito po ay may maliwanag na ebidensya na nakikita na ang sangkot dito ay ang kapulisan,” Litao said.

On April 5, the Ombudsman ordered the dismissal of Police Staff Sergeant Gerry Geñalope who was tagged in the killing of an epileptic child in a 2017 false drug raid in Tondo.

READ: Cop axed for killing epileptic in ‘drug raid’

Litao also cited the International Criminal Court’s examination against President Rodrigo Duterte’s alleged crimes against humanity for his bloody drug war. 

Litao said Duterte should be held accountable for all the drug-related killings, highlighting trends of killings including the case of Kian de los Santos, who was killed in 2017 by police officers in a Caloocan drug operation.

“Pero naniniwala po kami na kinakailangan niyang [Duterte] managot sa nagaganap ng ganitong pagpapaslang,” Litao said. 

“Dun binabanggit yung trend na nagaganap yung lalo na kay Kian yung mga nagiging tampok na usapin kaugnay dito sa war on drugs,” she added.

A total of 6,600 persons involved in illegal drug trade were killed since the beginning of the present administration’s crackdown on illegal drugs, recent Philippine National Police records showed. (Editor: Jonathan P. Vicente)

READ: 6,600 killed in war vs drugs from July 2016 to May 2019 — PNP