Palace vows a ‘continuing obligation to investigate’ killings

Newly-appointed Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque. VALERIE ESCALERA/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

Malacañang on Thursday assured the public of a “continuing investigation” on the spate of killings under the government’s brutal war against illegal drugs.

Incoming Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque issued the statement after a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed that 42 percent of Filipinos believed that drug users and pushers should not be killed.

“The goal of the government is to uphold the right to life ‘no, which is to protect and promote the right to life,” Roque said in his first Palace briefing.

“As far as this obligation is concerned, there is a continuing obligation of the state to investigate, prosecute and punish the perpetrators of these killings,” he added.

The same survey revealed that nearly half of Filipinos or 46 percent believed that innocent casualties could not be avoided in the Duterte administration’s war against illegal drugs.

Roque said collateral damage was inevitable in any war.

“Well, in any war, unfortunately, there will be collateral damage. The goal of the government is to minimize the collateral damage,” he said.

He also welcomed the alliance created by legal practitioners called “Mga Manananggol Laban sa Extrajudicial Killings” (Manlaban sa EJK), a group rallying against extrajudicial killings and escalating human-rights violations linked to the government’s brutal war on drugs.

“I welcome the creation of that group of lawyers because we need the help of civil society in overcoming the presumption of regularity in the discharge of functions,” he said. /je