De Lima lauds cops who testified on PNP’s ‘role’ in most drug killings

 

Senator Leila de Lima on Saturday said that she "salutes" cops who provided insider accounts showing that most drug-related killings under President Rodrigo Duterte administration were supposedly perpetrated by the Philippine National Police. 

"I salute the brave and honorable men and women of the PNP for giving testimonial proof that the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) are indeed state-sponsored and carried out upon direct orders of the President," De Lima, a staunch critic of President Rodrigo Duterte said in statement.

"With DDS (Davao Death Squad) insider testimonies coming from former DDS members Arturo Lascañas and Edgar Matobato, as well as confirmation coming from PNP officials, there ought to be no longer any doubt that there exists an international criminal case for crimes against humanity against the President, his PNP Chief and commanders, and high ranking cabinet officials and congressional allies," she added.

In a special report by Reuters on Duterte administration's drug war, two police senior officers claimed that most of the killings were carried out by the PNP.

Also, it said that police men received cash rewards for executing drug suspects and planting evidence at crimes scenes. 

De Lima also said that "it is just a matter of time before all of the truth comes out" on how the DDS had allegedly "embedded" in the PNP, noting that the evidence continues to surface.

"Human rights is universal. It is not a fashion statement," she said.

On the other hand, PNP figures show that legitimate police operations have led to the deaths of more than 2,600 drug personalities since July 1, 2016 when its war on drugs started under the Duterte administration.

Its statistics also point to more than 6,000 deaths under investigation—including those involving drug suspects—within the same period.

De Lima is currently detained at Camp Crame over her supposed involvement in the proliferation of illegal drugs inside the New Bilibid Prison.

Meanwhile, Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 204 Judge Juanita Guerrero denied the request from the Department of Justice to consolidate the three cases filed against De Lima. —Marlly Rome Bondoc/LBG, GMA News