Poe moves to probe killings
Senator Grace Poe will file on Monday a resolution urging the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs to conduct an inquiry into the recent spate of killings in Cebu.
She revealed this during her visit to Danao City, Cebu yesterday where she attended an event of a local political party.
“As a senator and also as an ally of the people of Cebu, I will certainly file an inquiry to look into the spate of killings in Cebu and that will be submitted to the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs. And I as a vice chairman, I will take a proactive role in that public hearing,” she told reporters.
Latest data from the Police Regional Office-7 showed that a total of 254 drug personalities have died in police operations in Central Visayas since July 2016, the time President Duterte stepped into power, to October 21 this year.
PRO-7 Director Chief Supt. Debold Sinas said these 254 deaths came from legitimate police operations, meaning killings committed by unknown perpetrators were not part of the tally.
Cebu Provincial Police Office reported 131 deaths, followed by the Bohol Provincial Police Office with 31.
Cebu City had 15; Mandaue City Police Office, 37; Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office, 16; LapuLapu City Police Office, 12; and Siquijor Provincial Police Office with no record of any death. The remaining police units from PRO-7 recorded 12 deaths.
The series of murders in Cebu – those staged by unknown assailants -- raised Poe's curiosity after she heard reports that the killings happen almost daily. In fact, during the first two weeks of October, more than 40 people were killed extra-judicially across the province.
Among the people killed by unidentified gunmen were high-ranking officials like former Barangay Lagtang Councilor Marc Ferdinand Bas and his son Art Stephen Bas, Ronda Mayor Mariano Blanco and his vice mayor Jonnah John Ungab. Two agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-7 were also part of the list.
“I hope that the police will impartially investigate this and whatever the results are I hope it will go through a process of litigation of justice in an accurate and efficient way,” she said.
She emphasized that it is important for the killings to be solved in order to put an end to the cycle.
“Pag hindi napaparusahan yan, paulit-ulit nalang yang mangyayari. Alam niyo, hindi na natin kailangan magbalangkas ng batas. Ang problema ang pagpapairal niyan,” she said.
The senator also pointed out that not all of these killings may be related to illegal drugs, which is why investigation is necessary to shed light on the unresolved shoot-kill incidents.
“There are different sides of the story. We cannot blame this all on one particular reason. Some people may be taking advantage of the war on drugs, but some may be legitimately so because of that,” she explained.
If the killings are indeed connected to illegal drug trade, Poe said she hopesthat not only those who are poor be convicted but also those who do large-scale operations.
“Sana hindi lamang yung mga maliliit at mahihirap na nahuhuli ang nakukulong kung hindi pati yung mga nagpapasok ng eleven point whatever bilyon na shabu sa ating mga ports,” she said.
Poe was in Cebu to witness the official alliance signing between the political party to which she belongs, the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC), and the Barug Alang sa Kauswagan Ug Demokrasya (BAKUD) of the fifth district. (Separate story on Page 2)
With the Senate currently on break, she intends to submit her suggestion to conduct an inquiry on Monday.
This is not the first time that the Senate took interest in the killings in Cebu.
Earlier, members of the Senate minority bloc expressed alarm over the brazenness of killings in the country, especially in Metro Cebu, where scores of suspected drug offenders were arrested and killed without due process.
“The allegation that police officers themselves are behind some of the killings is highly disturbing,” the senators said in a press release.
The senators belonging to the minority bloc are Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Senators Leila De Lima, Bam Aquino, Risa Hontiveros, Kiko Pangilinan and Antonio Trillanes IV.
Meanwhile, Sinas said PRO-7 is number one in conducting police operations, with 4,000 anti-illegal drug operations and netting approximately 25 kilos worth of drugs with roughly a market value of P2.8 billion.
Based on the nationwide report by the PDEA, 4,948 drug suspects were killed while 158,424 were arrested in 110,395 anti-drug operations from July 1, 2016 to September 2018.
The authorities also confiscated over P25 billion worth of shabu, chemicals, and laboratory equipment. Bulk of the amount or P18.27 billion was for the shabu recovered.
Sinas said it could only mean that the regional police are working.
He also said that if the number of killings would prompt the Commission on Human Rights to investigate, they will be open to it.