THE government does not invent facts to deceive the public about the number of deaths in the war on drugs, President Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday as the Palace welcomed various moves to investigate the spate of drug-related killings.
“There are some countries which are insulting us [and asking us] to open our records to them… Who are you to do that to my country?” Duterte said in his speech during the celebration of the 56th anniversary of the Philippine Constitution Association (Philconsa) Tuesday night.
“If you don’t believe our records, then go out and find something else to do. We do not fabricate,” the President said.
Duterte has been reaping criticism from foreign leaders and the United Nations over his war on drugs, which has claimed the lives of thousands of drug suspects and users.
In the Palace, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said the President does not want foreign countries that know nothing of local conditions meddling in Philippine affairs.
“They’ll just suddenly come to the conclusion that the killings are state-sponsored—that’s what the President does not want,” he said in Filipino.
In his speech, Duterte said more than 70,000 anti-drug operations have already been conducted under his presidency, with 3,811 killed.
“These are legitimate encounters duly recorded,” Duterte said, adding that more than 200 police and soldiers were killed in action as a result of these anti-drug operations, many because drug suspects fought back.
“And you say that we are killing our own countrymen? For what reason? You enjoy slaughtering your own countrymen?” he said.
Duterte’s figures matched those of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, which put the number of drug suspects killed at 3,811 from July 1, 2016 to Aug. 29, 2017.
Earlier this month, however, Philippine National Police chief Dir. Gen. Ronald dela Rosa gave a lower figure of 2,216 people dead as of Sept. 5.
The President challenged his critics to show proof that he ordered police to kill criminals.
“Find me one, even one officer or a patrolman, find me one that would say that I ordered them to execute criminals and you will have my resignation tomorrow. I’m only asking for one— patrolman or a police officer,” he said.
He also challenged the opposition to execute an affidavit stating that his children are involved in smuggling.
On Wednesday, the Palace welcomed the petition filed before the Supreme Court asking it to compel government agencies to investigate all killings linked to the government’s campaign against illegal drugs, and to make public all reports and status of the investigations.
Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella, however, insisted that authorities do “follow protocols and procedures during the conduct of police operations.”
“Concerned agencies, such as the Department of Justice [DOJ] and the Philippine National Police [PNP], welcome the petition and would respond to the petition filed at the Supreme Court,” Abella said.
“The public is given access to the results of the investigation; however, specific details on ongoing investigations are only released when these details will not compromise the investigation, follow-up operations, and other related activities,” he added.
Panelo, on the other hand, welcomed the Senate resolution calling for an investigation into the current spate of killings, especially of children and minors.
This after 16 of 23 senators called on the government Tuesday to “stop the senseless killings” in its anti-drug war, particularly of children and minors.
The 16, including 10 from the majority, signed the resolution that also called for an inquiry in aid of legislation to determine the institutional reasons, if any, that give rise to such killings.
“That’s fine with us. We’re open to that,” Panelo said in Filipino.
Based on data from the Children’s Legal Rights and Development Center, at least 54 minors have been killed in police operations or vigilante-style killings since July 2016, the first month of the Duterte administration, the resolution said. It said in many cases, the targets were not the children but the adults they were with.
The resolution cited the recent deaths of Kian Lloyd delos Santos, 17, and Carl Angelo Arnaiz, 19, who died at the hands of the police, who said they resisted arrest and fired at them first.
The resolution also cited the case of Reynaldo de Guzman, 14, who was found dead in a creek in Nueva Ecija with 30 stab wounds.
The resolution was signed by Senators Francis Pangilinan, Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, Joel Villanueva, Risa Hontiveros, Ralph Recto, Franklin Drilon, JV Ejercito, Antonio Trillanes IV, Sherwin Gatchalian, Panfilo Lacson, Grace Poe, Nancy Binay, Francis Escudero, Sonny Angara, Loren Legarda and Leila de Lima. With Bill Casas