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CHR seeks access to PNP’s drug war records
By JULIA MARI ORNEDO,GMA NewsThe Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Thursday said it hoped to gain access to the drug war records of the Philippine National Police (PNP) so it can pursue its own independent investigations.
CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said the PNP’s decision to grant the Department of Justice (DOJ) access to its files was a “gesture of openness and cooperation… necessary in pursuing justice and accountability.”
“With this new pronouncement, we equally hope that the PNP ensures cooperation without reservation in the investigations and sharing of relevant case files with the CHR for our own independent probe,” she said in a statement.
The CHR has long lamented
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PNP chief Police General Guillermo Eleazar said he would leave it up to the DOJ if it would share the drug war records with the CHR.
"Sa guidance ng ating presidente, ando’n ang aming full cooperation sa DOJ. For now, it's DOJ na i-po-provide namin ‘yung mga documents na ito (The President wanted our full cooperation with the DOJ. For now, it’s the DOJ we’ll provide these documents with),” he said.
In January, the CHR said it was excluded from an inter-agency review of drug war deaths, contrary to an earlier assurance made by the government that it would serve as an independent monitoring body.—LDF, GMA News