Keep ‘Bato’ out of Senate probe on drug war deaths – Amnesty Int’l

MANILA, Philippines –  Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa should inhibit “out of decency” from Senate probes into the extrajudicial killings linked to the government’s war on drugs, an official from Amnesty International said Monday.

“Out of decency, he should inhibit himself,” Amnesty International Philippines Section Director Butch Olano said during the launch of the group’s second report on the war on drugs.

Dela Rosa, who is reportedly set to head the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, earlier said he will not inhibit from such investigation.

He likewise expressed openness to probe any allegations of extrajudicial killings in the country

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Before becoming elected senator, Dela Rosa served as the Philippine National Police (PNP) chief from July 2016 to April 2018 and led the government’s brutal war on drugs.

The London-based human rights group claimed that the Duterte administration has taken steps to “thwart accountability for extrajudicial executions and other human rights violations” by undermining institutions that have attempted to address impunity, including the Senate, the House of Representatives and the Supreme Court.

“At the international level, the government withdrew the country from the ICC (International Criminal Court) following the latter’s announcement that it will launch a preliminary examination into possible crimes in the context of the ‘war on drugs’,” the group said in its report.

Olano also insisted that the group is not expecting the Senate to look into the alleged extrajudicial killings given its “current composition.”

In the recently-concluded midterm elections, nine of the 12 winning senators were either allies or supporters of the Duterte administration.

President Duterte’s war on drugs has been harshly criticized for its alleged violation of human rights.

Since July 2016, authorities said some 6,600 drug suspects have been killed in 153,276 operations nationwide.

Police claimed that most of the drug suspects were killed for resisting arrest and fighting back.  (Editor: Gilbert S. Gaviola)

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