Number of drug war slays didn't double during COVID-19 pandemic —Cascolan

The number of drug war killings did not double during the COVID-19 pandemic, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Police General Camilo Pancratius Cascolan said on Wednesday. 

"That's not true. The figures did not double during the COVID infection or time frame," Cascolan told ANC. 

"What I would want to tell you is just it increased for at least nine or from 200, I think, to 210," he added. 

Cascolan was reacting to the statement of rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) that killings in relation to the war on drugs increased by 50% between April to July 2020 compared to the previous four-month period.

The group based this number from the data of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency noting that a total of 5,810 individuals died during anti-illegal drug operations since 2016.

According to HRW Asia Division researcher Carlos Conde, the latest number only covers deaths of drug suspects in police anti-drug operations. 

He said thousands were killed by unidentified assailants, many of whom are believed to be plainclothes police officers or vigilantes operating in coordination with local authorities.

The Duterte administration's war against illegal drugs has been highly criticized by human rights groups, both local and international, due to the alleged extrajudicial killings perpetuated amid the enforcement of the campaign.

For Cascolan, the present administration will never sponsor killings. 

Cascolan is the co-author of the reinvigorated Oplan Double Barrel under the government’s war on drugs, which focused on high-value targets. 

The PNP chief said small-time drug users should not be killed in the anti-illegal drugs campaign. He said they could instead be of help in catching drug lords. —KG, GMA News