“…[t]here is a reasonable basis to believe that the crime against humanity of murder has been committed on the territory of the Philippines between 1 July 2016 and 16 March 2019 in the context of the Government of Philippines ‘war on drugs’ campaign.”
It shows an utter lack of rigor in the exercise of his duties as commander-in-chief, for instance, to vet intelligence information. It also indicates how lightly, if at all, he regards his oath of office to “faithfully and conscientiously fulfill my duties as President of the Philippines, preserve and defend its Constitution, execute its laws, do justice to every man and consecrate myself to the service of the Nation.”
“There is no doubt that the policies and operations under the Duterte administration are responsible for the onslaught of extra-judicial killings and other human rights violations under the ‘war on drugs.’ State officials and police forces were both brazen and confident that they would enjoy impunity in their crimes.” — Rise Up
This does not change the fact that being added to Duterte’s narco list has become like a death sentence: seven of the 24 murdered mayors and vice-mayors had been implicated in the list before they were killed by unknown assailants.
UN Special Rapporteur for extra-legal killings Agnes Callamard, speaking for several other special rapporteurs at another activity, recommended among others twin actions: for the Council to establish an on-the-ground international investigation into alleged HRVs in the Philippines, while continuing to monitor and report on the prevailing conditions; and for its member-states to “apply sanctions against Philippine government officials who [may be found] to have committed, have initiated or failed to investigate or prevent HRVs, including arbitrary killings.”
Cerbito is among the countless victims of the Duterte administration’s “war against illegal drugs,” which only targeted the poor, according to its critics.
“Our many meetings with communities from across the Philippines have left members of our delegation appalled by the continuing gross violations of human rights in the Philippines. The outright disregard for human life is unacceptable.”
By DEE AYROSO
By DEE AYROSO
The 4Ps program was supposed to provide youths like Eugene the opportunity to fulfill their dreams and help lift their families from poverty. But another government program, the antidrug campaign, has dimmed those hopes.
At least one in five victims of drug-related killings in Metro Manila in 2016 and 2017 were beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).