The House of Representatives Quad Committee in the Philippines has suggested re-investigating the thousands of extrajudicial killings that occurred during the previous administration. Manila Representative Bienvenido Abante expressed concern that the investigations conducted at that time didn’t lead to real results. He proposed that not only should these cases be reviewed, but they should be re-investigated to ensure justice is served.
Abante raised the possibility of a re-investigation during a committee hearing, asking Philippine National Police (PNP) Director for Operations, Police Major General Nicolas Salvador, if it could be done. Salvador confirmed that re-investigating the cases is possible. Abante strongly suggested that the authorities should re-investigate these cases so the proper charges could be filed in court.
During the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, over 6,000 drug suspects were killed according to official records. However, human rights organizations claim that the number may be much higher—up to 30,000 deaths—due to unreported killings. Human rights lawyer Kristina Conti explained that the families of victims didn’t want to cooperate with investigations because they feared for their safety. The police officers involved in the killings were often still assigned to the cases, making it difficult for families to trust the investigation process.
Conti added that while a new investigation could be possible, it would require rebuilding trust with the families of victims, who had lost confidence in the justice system during the previous administration. She also mentioned that extrajudicial killings are still happening under the current government, with around 300 cases reported.
The Department of Justice has already created a task force to investigate the killings linked to the war on drugs. This task force, made up of prosecutors and agents from the National Bureau of Investigation, is working under the Office of the Secretary to build cases and file criminal charges against those responsible for extrajudicial killings during the past administration’s anti-drug campaign.
