Lacson on syndicate-initiated EJKs: Rogue cops resort to drug killings too

Sen. Panfilo Lacson. Senate PRIB file photo / Joseph Vidal

MANILA, Philippines — While it could be “partly true” that warring drug syndicates are behind alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs), Senator Panfilo Lacson said it could not be denied that rogue policemen also “resort to killing” drug suspects.

In a pre-recorded address aired late Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte disclosed that he earlier ordered a “discreet” investigation into EJKs, which he said showed that said killings were not state-sponsored but instead stemmed from conflicts between rival drug syndicates.

Sought for comment, Lacson said in a message: “That may be partly true.”

“Just like different drug syndicates in other parts of the world, when their ‘business competition’ reaches ‘cutthroat levels’ they literally cut the throats of their competitors,” the senator, a former Philippine National Police chief, said.

“However, it cannot also be denied that rogue members of the law enforcement resort to killing drug suspects for various reasons, as already validated when the Senate conducted inquiries sometime ago,” he added.

In 2016, the Senate conducted an investigation into EJKs with Lacson as then chairman of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs.

The President’s brutal crackdown on illegal drugs has drawn widespread criticisms both locally and internationally.

Last July, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released a report which found “near impunity” in the Philippine government’s handling of drug war killings.

JPV