De Lima laments spike in killings
Senator Leila De Lima lamented the continued rise of killings that worsens the scar of every Filipino family on All Saints’ Day.
In a message written in Filipino, De Lima, President Rodrigo Duterte’s staunch critic, said that instead of seeing an end to the killings, the victims of extrajudicial killings are rising in number.
She said this is "something that continuously reminds and opens the wounds felt by the thousands of mothers, fathers, spouses, children and siblings of the departed kin."
The senator, who is currently detained for drug charges, called on the Filipino people to honor the dead, but also to uphold and respect human rights.
"Let us continue to pray that our country may achieve peace while justice reigns," she added in Filipino.
The Senate is scheduled to conduct an investigation, in aid of legislation, into the series of killings in Cebu. Senator Grace Poe filed a resolution on Monday calling the Senate to look into the spate of killings in Cebu. The data shows that there were more than 40 killings in Cebu for the month of October alone.
The killings raised concerns among Cebu's businessmen, who called on the Philippine National Police to solve the cases. Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry vice president Steven Yu said that the province "needs peace and order to sell itself to investors."
The government has attributed many of the killings to criminals, drug syndicates and vigilantes and has rejected the allegation that EJKs are a government policy.
Kin of alleged victims of extrajudicial killings have brought their case to the International Criminal Court in the hope of prosecuting President Rodrigo Duterte for crimes against humanity. The president, however, has continuously insisted that the international tribunal has no jurisdiction over his person.
The Philippine government acknowledges more than 4,900 have died in law enforcement operations under the administration’s brutal war against drugs, but human rights group put the numbers at more than 20,000 already, as cited in the latest communication filed before the ICC.
Duterte, meanwhile, urged the Filipino faithful to honor the departed and live like the saints as the nation observes All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.
In his message, Duterte called on Filipinos to “honor those who have gone before us in the grace of God.”
“Their legacy remains an important part of who we are today and we have so much to gain from their virtuous example,” said the tough-talking leader who admits to killing in some of his freestyle speeches.
“May their deeds inspire us to become advocates of peace and solidarity as we do our part in building our nation and in alleviating the suffering of others,” he added.
Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, for his part, urged the Filipino people become the modern-day saints that the nation needs.
“Saints are human beings. They doubted, sinned, went astray. Yet, they struggled to correct their ways and became agents of change in society,” Pangilinan said in a statement.
“In the midst of injustice, corruption, abuse of environment, immorality, killings in the society we live in today, we need modernday saints,” he added.