MANILA, Philippines — Contrary to the statement of the Malacanang, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said Friday its latest report on the drug war situation in the country is not a mere “rehash” of its previous findings.
CHR commissioner Gwendolyn Pimentel-Gana made the remark following the release of their report which showed that the Duterte administration’s brutal campaign against illegal drugs has “encouraged a culture of impunity” as it failed to respect and protect the rights of Filipinos.
While acting presidential spokesperson Martin Andanar said it is pleased that the CHR “has independently exercised its mandate”, the Palace also sees a “rehash of old issues” in the said report.
“It’s not a rehash because actually, we released a partial investigation report last year but this is a continuation of a report on the national perspective or scale,” Pimentel-Gana said in an interview on ABS-CBN News.
“The initial report was concentrating on cases in Region 3 and Region 4-A and the NCR (National Capital Region). Now, the release is about the whole extra-judicial killing cases in the country, so it’s not a rehash,” she added.
Pimentel-Gana said the latest report confirmed the findings in its initial report.
“It’s not a rehash at all. I’m just sad that they are saying that as if nothing happened,” Pimentel-Gana said.
“I think it’s about time that the government realizes that in the perspective [of] human rights, when you look at the lens of human rights, the drug war has led to numerous individuals dying under suspicious circumstances,” she added.
In its 48-page report titled “Investigated Killings In Relation to the Anti-Illegal Drug Campaign” released recently, the CHR concluded that police officers involved in the “drug war” showed “intent to kill” and used “excessive force” in its anti-illegal drug operations.
The CHR study analyzed 882 case dockets involving 1,139 victims. Of this, 920 were killed, while seven cases have remained shrouded in mystery.