On Thursday, opposition Senator Leila De Lima was not surprised by President Rodrigo Duterte’s refusal to open the drug war records of the Philippine National Police (PNP) due to the alleged issue of national security.
It will be recalled that after Duterte’s statement on Monday, the PNP changed its mind and said that they would only open 53 of the 61 cases with the Department of Justice.
According to De Lima, the DOJ’s request for permission to investigate PNP records can be considered an anomaly.
“No one is surprised that the President would hide the grisly records of his drug war under the cover of national security, not only because it was convenient for him but also because he and his government have much to hide. Not to mention he has a penchant for ‘bravado’ and is a chronic liar,” said De Lima.
She said every Filipino has the right to be given justice no matter who else is guilty.
The legislator added that the President is only afraid of the truth, especially on the issue of extrajudicial killings where she said thousands had been killed.
De Lima not surprised by Duterte’s refusal to open drug war records
“Bakit kailangan magpaalam ng DOJ para imbestigahan ang krimen na naganap kahit pa PNP ang may sala? Democracy demands accountability. Karapatan ng bawat Pilipino na mabigyan ng hustisya kahit sino pa ang may sala,” she said.
De Lima added that by making the records public, the violation of authority would be exposed, and it will also be seen how they were allegedly convicted.
“Makikita rin dito ang katotohanan kung paanong sa pag-udyok at pagkunsinte ni Duterte, lumalala ang karahasan, pag-abuso at brutal na pagpatay ng kapulisan.”
Although he did not hear what Duterte said, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said on Tuesday: “My understanding of what the President has meant is in the light of the ongoing cooperation between the DOJ and PNP, a proper concern should be given to security. matters.”
“In other words, not necessarily related to the review of these case files, hindi naman necessarily yun ang tinutukoy (not necessarily pertaining to these), as far as I’m concerned, these are criminal matters, more of a criminal nature than a national security concern,” he added.
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