Witnesses in drug killings to appear at Senate probe—De Lima

Senator Leila de Lima. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/LYN RILLON

Witnesses in the killings of alleged drug suspects either by the police or vigilante groups will be presented when the Senate opens its investigation on August 22.

Senator Leila de Lima announced this after the Senate committee on justice and human rights, which she chairs, met on Thursday and agreed to proceed with the investigation on the spate of killings since President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office last June 30.

READ: De Lima calls for inquiry into spate of drug killings

“After deliberations on a motion duly seconded, the committee decided to proceed [with] the conduct of the Senate inquiry in aid of legislation into the spate of the extrajudicial killings or summary executions,” De Lima told reporters after the meeting.

She said the committee will hold the hearings on August 22 and 23.

Aside from witnesses, De Lima said officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and other government agencies would be invited to the hearing.

She said the Senate probe would focus both on the reported deaths in the course of legitimate police operations and those allegedly killed by vigilante groups.

“We have to determine the facts. We have to know the truth. We have to find out exactly why is this happening. We have to find out how many have been killed in the course of this intensified drive against drugs,” De Lima said.

READ: De Lima asks Senate to probe drug slays

Senator Panfilo Lacson, chairman of the Senate committee on public order, said he abstained when De Lima’s committee voted whether or not to proceed with the probe.

“I abstained but with a manifestation I am attending the hearings if only to focus on the summary killings perpetrated by non-police personnel,” Lacson, former PNP chief, said in a separate interview.

“May misgivings ako na parang ini-indict mo ang police organization na involved sila sa summary killings (I have misgivings that police organization would be indicted for being involved in summary killings). But let’s find out, let’s see how things develop during the hearing,” he said.

While he is not a member of De Lima’s committee, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano attended the meeting and questioned the timing of the investigation.

“Napakaraming kailangan ng police ngayon, napakaraming kailangan ng judge, ng prosecution services para maging successful ang anti-drug campaign, bakit uunahin yung imbestigasyon (We need many policemen, judges and prosecution services for the anti-drug campaign to be successful, so why should the investigation be prioritized)? ” Cayetano said, noting that there are other legislations that should be prioritized like the Whistleblowers Act and the proposed restoration of the death penalty, among others.

The senator also questioned why the committee wanted to go ahead with the hearing directly, instead of listening first to a briefing by the police and other law enforcement agencies. RAM/rgA