The Commission on Human Rights welcomes the decision of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release an information table involving 52 cases of deaths during the government’s anti-drug operations. As such, information on the docket numbers, names of deceased suspect/suspects, places, and dates of the incidents, and the DOJ Review Panel’s summary of observations will be disclosed to the public.

We hope that the release of the said information may be helpful to the victims’ families in knowing the status of the investigation and, more importantly, encourage witnesses to come out and participate towards the resolution of cases of these deaths.

We recall that, in February 2021, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra reported before the United Nations Human Rights Council that, “in more than half of the records reviewed” of the 5,655 so-called “nanlaban” (fought back) deaths, it was observed that the police failed to follow standard protocols nor a full examination of the recovered weapon was conducted. The DOJ later revealed that their inquiry only covered 328 cases. For their part, the Philippine National Police in May 2021 gave access to 61 administrative cases involving alleged extrajudicial killings (EJK) during police operations for DOJ’s review.

While we see movement, CHR continues to urge the government to remain mindful of the remaining thousands of alleged EJK cases waiting for resolution and justice. We remind the government that the responsibility to protect life and ensure justice for the violations of human rights are a primary State obligations, especially in the context of the observed “widespread and systematic” human rights violations and persistent impunity in the country, as reported by the UN Human Rights Office in June 2020.

CHR stresses that the first step towards making perpetrators accountable for their offenses is through genuine and straightforward investigations. CHR remains open, willing, and ready to assist through our independent probe, provided that we are given access to pertinent case files as well. CHR remains committed in helping the government improve the human rights situation in the country through the delivery of our Constitutional mandate as the country’s independent National Human Rights Institution. ###