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(Update) Malacañang has agreed to release on Thursday the Melo Commission report on extra-judicial killings, just hours earlier, UN rapporteur Philip Alston criticized the government and military for being in "a state of almost total denial" that soldiers may have been involved in the murder of activists and journalists in the country.

In a press conference, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said that due to public clamor, the report along with letters from General Jovito Palparan and Armed Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr, will be made public through Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye.

He told reporters that no "right-thinking" leader will tolerate the growing incidence of killings of journalists and activists.

Ermita clarified to reporters that when the Palace said that the report was not yet complete, it meant that the commission has yet fully investigated claims of families of victims from leftists organizations, whom he said refused to cooperate with the government.

He also said the commission has yet conducted a "more incisive" investigation on the death of journalists.

Ermita said Task Force Usig has so far identified six soldiers involved in extra-judicial killings. He said President Arroyo will release P35 million to the Commission on Human Rights “so that it can function in looking into" these cases.

Ermita also dismissed observations that Malacañang is "in a state of denial" on the spate of political murders in the country.

“The fact (that) the President caused the creation of Task Force Usig, and later the Melo Commission… (proves) that the national leadership is serious about putting a stop to extra-judicial killings, " he said. "And there is no reason to ever doubt the sincerity of the national leadership on stopping this unexplained killings….This is not a national policy."

UN rapporteur Philip Alston has urged Malacañang to release the report of the Melo Commission, which President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had created to investigate the political murders.

"The report was never intended to be preliminary or interim. The need to get 'leftists' to testify is no reason to withhold a report which in some ways at least vindicates their claims," he said.

Although the commission already submitted its report to Malacañang earlier this month, Palace officials ordered the panel members to extend its investigation because they have yet to get the side of activists.

For his part, however, Alston said that, "extending a commission whose composition has never succeeded in winning full coooperation seems unlikely to cure the problems still perceived by those groups. Immediate relase of the report is an essential first step."

Human rights group Karapatan have listed about 834 extrajudicial killings since President Arroyo took over the government in 2001.

As of February 13, the police's Task Force Usig lists only 115 such cases, 49 of which have been deemed "solved."

Regarding what he called the "numbers game," Alston said this was an "unproductive" pursuit but noted that he was "certain that the number is high enough to be distressing."

Alston noted that through the course of his investigation, he noted that there was an "element" of "propaganda" when he spoke with some local nongovernment organizations.

Although the "propaganda" may have been meant to "win public sympathy and to discredit other actors," Alston said that this "does not, in itself, destroy the credibility fo the information and allegations."

He also expressed dissastisfaction with the manner by which the Philippine National Police has been investigating the killings.

He bemoaned that the police fail to extensively use "forensic investigation" and have been overly reliant on witnesses' testimonies. When the witnesses refuse to cooperate, Alston said, the police probe also comes to an end.

Also, Alston said presidential decrees on the conduct of congressional inquiries have hampered and "systematically drained" the accountability mechanisms in the Constitution.

"Executive Order (EO) 464, and its replacement, Memorandum Circular (MC) 108, undermine significantly the capacity of Congress to hold the executive to account in any meaningful way," he said.

EO 464 requires senior officials of the national government, the police and military to seek the President's approval to appear before any congressional inquiry.

MC 108, meanwhile, requires invited officials to "promptly request from Congress information, if it is not so provided in the information, regarding the possible needed statute which prompted the need for inquiry."

The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) said Alston’s statement on Monday was a “stinging rebuke of the government and a vindication of the victims."

Bayan said the Alston report “is a major blow on the military, police and cabinet officials who have sought to cover up the killings."

“This is a vindication of the victims. It is good to note that government deception did not take its toll on the UN rapporteur. We are definitely relieved and pleased with his initial findings.," said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr.

Reyes joined other human rights groups and advocates in a briefing with Alston held in Makati.

Bayan member organizations and affiliates have borne the brunt of political killings under the Arroyo administration. Of the more than 800 recorded victims of extrajudicial killings recorded by Karapatan, around 365 are organized activists.

“The initial findings of Alston have revealed the flaws of Task Force Usig and the Melo Commission and their mandates. More importantly, Alston called attention to the conduct of the government’s counter-insurgency campaign and its effects on civilians and members of the legal Left. All these point to state responsibility as a major factor in the killings," Reyes said.

“The government psy-war line that the killings are being committed by the New People’s Army as part of a purge has been totally discredited by Alston. The government line that the figures of victims are mere propaganda was also assailed by the rapporteur," Reyes said.

Reyes said that it is now time for the government to abandon its psywar spin and denial mode and start focusing on stopping the killings.

“The government should stop blaming victims and should act on stopping the killings by ordering the suspension of the counter-insurgency plan Bantay Laya. The government must hold accountable the generals responsible for the killings," Reyes said.

“The killings are part of a national policy that only the Arroyo administration can stop," Reyes said. GMANews.TV