THE government reiterated the need to sustain its drug war, which it described as an essential proof that the justice system in the Philippines is working.
In a Palace statement, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that the message conveyed by Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Menardo Guevarra before the United Nations Human Rights Council regarding pertinent issues in the government’s drug war only shows that the Philippine government is serious in going after law enforcers who need to be held liable over their erroneous actions.
“Itong naunang pahayag ng ating Secretary of Justice ay nagpapatunay na seryoso po tayo sa obligasyon po natin na mag-imbestiga at maglitis dahil hinaharap po natin ang katotohanan na posible po na may ilang mga alagad ng batas na kinakailangan sigurong managot sa batas dito sa Pilipinas,” he said.
Without mentioning any international group, Roque underscored the need for “other institutions” not to intervene on the Philippine justice system.
“That proves that our domestic legal system is working at hindi po dapat manghimasok ang ibang institusyon. Bigyan po natin ng pagkakataon ang ating mga legal system na gumana ngayong may ganyan na pong transparency at openmindedness sa parte po ng no less than, our Secretary of Justice,” he said.
Interestingly, Guevarra admitted that firearms recovered from slain drug suspects during operations have yet to be examined by authorities, citing failure of law enforcers to follow standard protocols pertaining to coordination with other agencies and the processing of the crime scene.
Responding to Guevarra’s admission, the Philippine National Police said that they will be forming a panel to look into the DOJ Secretary’s concerns.
Government data showed that nearly 6,000 were killed in the drug war, far from the claim of human rights groups that over 20,000 individuals were slain under Duterte’s drug campaign.