Baguilat lauds Duterte but slams cops over rash of killings

IFUGAO Rep. Teddy Baguilat on Monday lauded President Duterte for upholding the rule of law in his State of the Nation Address (Sona), turning the tables instead on the police for seemingly misinterpreting the marching orders of the President.

“In fairness, sabi ng Pangulo we don’t condone extrajudicial killings. We want the police to follow the rule of law but syempre, hindi ko nga alam kung nami-misinterpret lang ba ng ating kapulisan yung statements ng Pangulo,” Baguilat said in an interview after Duterte’s Sona.

Wearing the traditional bahag (of the Ifugao indigenous group), Baguilat said the police seemed to have misinterpreted Duterte’s orders to implement the rule of law amid a spate of killings of suspected criminals during legitimate police operations.

“Bakit tila may mga lumalabas na kwento kahit sumusuko, pinapatay pa rin. Lately may mga lumalabas na inosente naman daw, nadamay sa barilan,” Baguilat said.

Baguilat lamented the spate of summary killings of suspected criminals, adding that criminality could not be solved through another crime of extrajudicial killing.

“Dahil rito sa anti-drug campaign, nalulutasan ang problema ng krimen sa kalsada. Eh ang daming gumagala diyan na mamamatay tao. May mga problema pa ring kriminal sa kalsada. You don’t solve one crime by encouraging another crime,” Baguilat said.

“Kahit saan mo tingnan ang extrajudicial killing, krimen pa rin, murder siya eh,” he added.

It was Baguilat who filed the resolution seeking a congressional probe on the spate of summary killings amid Duterte’s war on drugs.

Baguilat filed House Resolution No. 61 urging Congress to investigate the “spate of extrajudicial killings and/or summary executions of suspected violators of laws on illegal drugs and other suspected criminals.”

READ: Look into extrajudicial killings under Duterte, Congress pressed

Baguilat said since Duterte assumed office on June 30, at least 23 persons suspected of violating laws against illegal drugs were killed by law enforcers “under vague circumstances.”

He added that even before Duterte’s inauguration, at least 68 drug suspects were killed in police operations in the country from January 1 to June 15, and 25 more were killed from June 16 to 20, “demonstrating a shocking increase in police-perpetrated killings.”

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police reported 22 suspected drug-related killings outside police operations from May 14 to June 30, Baguilat said.

Baguilat said the spate of summary killings by some police officers who were mandated to enforce the rule of law is alarming because   the constitutional right of suspected criminals has been violated.

BACKSTORY: Duterte vows to continue killing criminals ‘in accordance with law’

“The seemingly unchecked outbreak of extrajudicial killings executed by civil servants trusted by the people to enforce the law indicates a violation of the Constitution…” Baguilat said.

Baguilat also said extrajudicial killings represent a “deterioration of the rule of law which can lead to people taking the law into their hands,” thereby leading the country toward the path of “lawlessness and anarchy.”

“There is therefore a clamor from the public and government officials alike to look into the disturbing trend of extrajudicial killings of suspected drug criminals,” Baguilat said.

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