By Junex Doronio
MANILA – The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has thrown its support behind the ongoing investigations by the House Quad Committee into the alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) that occurred during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial anti-drug campaign.
While police records indicate that approximately 6,000 individuals lost their lives in the crackdown on illegal drugs, human rights organizations claim the death toll could be as high as 30,000, including victims of vigilante killings allegedly spurred by Duterte’s policies.
“The Commission fully supports the Quad Committee’s investigation, your honor. In fact, we have been invited to participate as one of the resource persons,” CHR Chairperson Richard Palpal-latoc informed the House appropriations committee, which was discussing the CHR’s proposed P1 billion budget for 2025.
This support comes after a tumultuous history between the CHR and the Duterte administration.
Notably, on September 12, 2017, the House of Representatives voted 119-32 to slash the CHR’s budget to a mere P1,000 for 2018, a move widely interpreted as an attempt to abolish the commission.
Duterte himself, during his State of the Nation Address on July 24, 2017, had suggested that the CHR was “better abolished.”
Despite these past challenges, Palpal-latoc emphasized that the CHR has no objections to the ongoing hearings.
“We have no negative or otherwise adverse reactions to the hearings being conducted. Additionally, I would like to highlight that the Commission is carrying out its own independent investigation into extrajudicial killings. We have recently reconstituted our EJK task force to complete our investigation into the killings related to the drug war,” he stated.
This renewed focus on EJKs underscores the CHR’s commitment to seeking justice for the victims and holding those responsible accountable, even as the issue continues to be a contentious and polarizing topic in the Philippines.
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