The Commission on Human Rights office in Quezon City. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) is hoping that the incoming Marcos administration will “recalibrate” the approach to the drug war problem in the country, saying it should “continue investigating” pending cases during the Duterte presidency.
CHR commissioner Gwendolyn Pimentel-Gana made the remark Friday after the release of their report which showed that the Duterte administration’s campaign against illegal drugs has “encouraged a culture of impunity” as it failed to respect and protect the rights of Filipinos.
“Well, the presumptive president and the new administration, I think would continue with the drug war and we are hoping they will recalibrate their approach to the drug problem,” Pimentel-Gana said in an interview on ANC.
“Now, I see that if they are really serious in pursuing that justice is served, they should continue with the investigations of these victims and the cases already pending and they should actually continue to review the cases and then bring to justice the perpetrators,” she added.
Pimentel-Gana added that the choice of the next secretary of the Department of Justice will be “very significant” in the investigation of the drug war cases.
“[It is] very significant that the secretary of justice must look at the problem in the lens of human rights approach,” Pimentel-Gana said.
“That person must have a very strong sense of justice and fairness and that person must be credible in a sense that people will believe that he will really pursue what is best for the victims of extrajudicial killings,” 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.