UN’s Alston assails Duterte anew on failure to end Davao killings

United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extra-judicial, Summary and Arbitrary Executions has again assailed Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte for his alleged failure to comply with its recommendations that are aimed at putting an end to extra-judicial killings allegedly perpetrated by the dreaded Davao Death Squad.

In a report on his follow-up of recommendations for a halt to the murders, Philip Alston lamented the non-implementation of the suggestions that were submitted to local and national government authorities following a 2007 investigation he conducted on rampant extra-judicial killings in Davao and other parts of the country.

Comparing murders committed against leftist personalities and suspected petty criminals in Davao City, Alston admitted however to a “drastic reduction in the number” of political killings.

“But the Davao death squad continues to operate, and increased numbers of death squad killings have been recorded,” said Alston. “Reforms directed at institutionalizing the reduction of killings of leftist activists and others, and in ensuring command responsibility for abuses have not been implemented.”

Alston submitted his report to the UN General Assembly late last month. It contained a follow-up of what the government and other agencies in the Philippines have done to address the rising number of political murders in the country.

In his report, Alston noted that the Commission on Human Rights has taken “serious steps to begin” probe on the Davao murders.

“However, the Davao death squad continues to operate, and increased numbers of death squad killings have been recorded,” the report added.

Alston, who conducted the investigation two years ago, said that Duterte may have “independently relinquished his post” in the National Police Commission which gave him power to control the local police’s Task Force Davao.

“The Mayor, however, has not taken any significant steps to hold the officers commanding those units accountable,” noted Alston.

He also said the Davao City government failed to abolish the practice of allowing barangay officials and councils to submit a law enforcement watchlist that contained names of suspected criminals.

Also not implemented was the creation of an independent body that would investigate and identify the persons involved in the DDS and the suspecte dhitmen.

Earlier, Speaker Prospero Nograles ordered a congressional inquiry into into the alleged murderous activities of the DDS.

Nograles, a former human rights lawyer, said the House probe can be a venue to help the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in getting to the bottom of the Davao killings.

He noted that the “serial executions in Davao City” have become an international embarrassment because it had also been the subject of a report in the United Nations by Philip Alston, the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions.”

“I fully support the CHR probe and the House will do its part to get into the bottom of these cold-blooded executions and assassinations. There should be no white wash,” he said.

Arroyo orders probe on Davao death squads

A wire report said President Arroyo has ordered the police to investigate alleged state-sponsored death squads blamed for killing more than 800 suspected criminals in Davao, quoting Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, who also serves as the presidential spokesman.

Ermita claimed that the government “does not — nor will it ever — condone, tolerate, abet, encourage, much less sponsor” killings to fight crime.

Ermita was quoted as saying that the President had already ordered the Department of Interior and Local Government and the Philippine National Police to determine the existence of death squads and prosecute perpetrators.

The Davao has blamed the killings on gang wars and drug addicts. –Charlie V. Manalo, Daily Tribune