CHR to probe Cebu town mayor slay

Saying allegations of involvement in the illegal drug trade is not an excuse to kill politicians, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has initiated its investigation into the killing of Mayor Mariano Blanco III of Ronda town in Cebu.

CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said suspected narco politicians should be held accountable for their actions by filing cases against them in courts.

“It is alarming that senseless killings continue to threaten everyone,” De Guia said yesterday.

“The killing... prevented us from knowing the truth and served as another addition to the string of injustices that we continue to urge the PNP, (Philippine National Police) to urgently address,” she added.

Blanco, who is among local government executives in President Duterte’s narco list, was shot dead by four men who barged into his office at the municipal hall in Barangay Poblacion while he was sleeping on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Western Visayas police said it would cooperate with the CHR’s investigation into drug-related deaths.

Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao, Western Visayas police chief, said they have nothing to hide, noting that anti-drug operations were conducted with regularity and “utmost respect for human rights.“

Bulalacao said drug raids resulting in deaths are immediately investigated by the PNP Internal Affairs Service and Human Rights Affairs Office.

“We assure our people that all our efforts are geared toward the attainment of an orderly and peaceful community, which is beneficial to all Filipinos,” he said.