PNP dismisses Reuters report on EJKs as a ‘mere rehash’

The Philippine National Police (PNP) dismissed as a “mere rehash” the claims of two police officials in the Reuters report that the rampant summary killings in the drug war were sanctioned by the PNP.

“All those accusations have been answered in the past by the PNP chief,” PNP spokesperson Chief Supt. Dionardo Carlos said in a news briefing on Wednesday. “We’ve been showing the data already. Parang inulit ulit lang (They just keep being repeated),”

Director General Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa, the PNP chief, has denied the allegations.

Since the drug war started in July last year, several police officers have revealed anonymously in reports from International news agencies that some police officers were behind thousands of drug killings, which the PNP blamed on vigilantes.

On Tuesday, Reuters reported the disclosure of an anonymous retired intelligence cop and another senior police commander saying that the PNP had been orchestrating drug killings, making them appear as if these were carried out by vigilantes.

They said the PNP also encouraged operatives to plant guns and evidence at the crime scene to pin down suspected drug suspects.

The retired official also authored a 26-page report titled “The State-Sponsored Extrajudicial Killings in the Philippines.” The document has been shared with the leaders of Catholic Church and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).

“We would like to look into the enire report dahil dati na tong lumabas,” Carlos said. “Inulit na lang. Pinahaba yung iba’t ibang punto at nadagdagan na ng pagpapatay ng CCTV (closed-circuit television).”

(“We would like to look into the entire report because what it contins has already come out before. It’s just a repetition. Some points were made longer and there was the additional allegation that CCTVs were switched off.”)

The active police commander revealed to Reuters that the cops would coordinate with local officials to unplug security cameras before a killing was carried out in their area.

“Napakahirap gawin at the ground level because we don’t have control over the CCTV operation or the recording,” Carlos said. “Walang ganong klaseng instructions under the PNP.”

(“That’s so hard to do at the ground level because we don’t have control over the CCTV operation or the recording. There are no such instructions under the PNP.”)

The PNP is urging the cops quoted in the report to come forward and relay their issues to the PNP grievance committee. /atm

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