MANILA – The Philippine National Police has “no other alternative” than to comply with the Supreme Court order to submit reports on the government’s crackdown on drugs, a Malacañang official said.
The high court directed the PNP to hand over full records of thousands of deadly encounters in the “war on drugs,” thwarting a government bid to keep operational details of the bloody crackdown secret.
On Tuesday it gave Solicitor General Jose Calida 15 days to comply with a December order that he had challenged on the grounds of national security.
“Since the Supreme Court has made a final order for the production of these particular documents by law enforcement agencies … I guess we have no other alternative except to comply, subject to certain security checks or requirements,” said Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra.
According to Guevarra, there is no need for Malacañang to direct the PNP to heed the Supreme Court.
“We expect them to comply,” he said. “If that is the final order of the Supreme Court, all agencies of government bound by that order are supposed to comply and follow.”
Guevarra was confident the submission of reports on the antidrug crackdown would have no effect, adverse or otherwise, in the Duterte administration’s flagship campaign.
“Wala naman kaming nakikitang potential effect dahil wala namang itinatago ang mga law enforcement agencies dito sa mga dokumentong ito, except for the security ng possible witnesses and so forth and so on,” he said.
NAMES, ADDRESSES, GENDER
Supreme Court Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio told Calida to submit names, addresses and gender of those killed in police operations and other drug-related deaths.
Carpio demanded details of each deadly antidrug operation, the police and witnesses involved and copies of warrants against suspects who were killed.
The order covers drug-related deaths from July 2016 until November 2017, when two complainants, including a group of Manila slum dwellers, petitioned the court to make the details publicly available.
Human rights lawyer Edre Olalia said the government must comply with the court order and follow the law.
“It’s about time the government should take responsibility and, if so proven, liability for playing God in the snuffing of lives,” he said.
Human rights and legal groups lauded the decision as a triumph that would help bring to book state officials involved in what they say are systematic abuses, cover-ups and executions during President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody 21-month campaign.
“The Supreme Court has demonstrated with this initial order that it will perform its role as our people’s beacon and bastion of justice,” said the Center for International Law, a group of domestic human rights lawyers who were among the petitioners who had asked for the incident records to be disclosed.
Calida has not yet responded to a request for comment. Police spokesman John Bulalacao said he would not respond until he had received a copy of the court order.
‘JUST RIGHT’
At least three senators agreed that the PNP must submit antidrug campaign reports to the Supreme Court.
Joel Villanueva believes the high court reviewing the drug war “reinforces rule of law in the country.”
He hopes those killed amid the crackdown “will find justice.”
“Even kung Senado manghingi niyan … dapat nila i-produce,” said Vicente Sotto III. “Kung pakinabangan namin at kaikailanganin.”
“Tama lang (just right)” was how Panfilo Lacson described the Supreme Court order.
“We tried during the hearings but somehow hindi sila naka-comply,” he said.
“But ito may contempt issue involved dito. And it’s no less than the [Supreme Court] that’s ordering them. So they will have to comply, and they should comply,” said Lacson, a former PNP director.
The high court’s move comes just a few months after the International Criminal Court announced it had started a preliminary examination of a complaint filed by a lawyer accusing Duterte and top officials of crimes against humanity.
Duterte has since withdrawn the Philippines’ membership of the court in protest even though this has no impact on the ICC’s jurisdiction, which applies for the period in which a country was a member.
About 4,100 people have been killed by police and several thousand more by unknown gunmen whom the authorities have described as vigilantes, or rival gang members.
Police denied allegations they have murdered people involved in drugs and said those killed were all dealers who violently resisted arrest. (With reports from Reuters/PN)
