Palace exec says 'preliminary' Melo report favors military

Malacañang admitted Thursday that the "preliminary" Melo Commission report to be released within the day is biased in favor of the military, but blamed activists and the families of political killings for this. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita also appealed to the media to be "responsible" in "interpreting" the contents of the Melo report, which Malacañang had ordered made available to media. "The Melo Commission did not get the cooperation of leftists and families of victims. We hoped they would make themselves available but they did not surface," Ermita said in Filipino during an interview on dzBB radio Thursday morning. That non-cooperation, he said, compelled Malacañang to withhold the contents of the Melo report from the public, saying, "we don't want it to get out of proportion." He said the only parties that cooperated were government officials, Task Force Usig, the military, and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process. For his part, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said there was nothing in the Melo report that needed to be hidden from the public, since it was not complete because the panel members failed to substantiate accusations against the military. "Even (commission chair) retired justice Jose Melo admitted that the report is not complete because the allegations of militants were not substantiated. The Melo body also said no militant testified or cooperated," he said. Gonzalez asked, "How can you have a balanced story when the other side who keeps on yakking against you does not prove what he is yakking about?" Ermita advised the media to specifically read in the report the letter of explanation by Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr to Melo. However, he "reminded" the press that with Malacañang's decision to release the report to the media, it is media's responsibility to "go about a balanced reporting." "Media should know how to go about a balanced reporting once they read the Melo Commission report and the letter of Esperon to Melo," he said. On a pedestal? Ermita refused to make comparisons between the Melo report and that of UN rapporteur Philip Alston, who said many extrajudicial kilings were "convincingly attributed" to the military. He said there were "differences" in the way the Melo body and Alston reports were crafted. "Writing a report is one thing. How a report is appreciated is a different thing. Let's just see the perception of those who read the Melo report," he said. Less than two weeks after inviting him to look into extra-judicial killings in the Philippines, government officials attacked Alston's credibility to look into the killings issue. Gonzalez dismissed Alston as an "instant expert" on political murders even after spending only 10 days in the country and talking to his "leftist friends." "Why are we treating Alston like he were a big person? We're making him a demigod. But he's been in the Philippines for only 10 days. That does not make him an instant expert," Gonzalez said. Advice to media The justice chief also scored the media for making a big deal of Alston's initial report, saying that if "gullible" people believe media accounts, it will affect government's anti-insurgency efforts. "Our anti-insurgency campaign may be affected here, people are gullible and newspapers are making stories out of proportion. The media says the UN blames the military for political killings. Yet Alston is not even an employee of the UN," he said. As this developed, dzBB radio reported that the Manila Police District (MPD) beefed up security around Malacañang and other government facilities. The report said the police set up additional checkpoints in key areas of the city to thwart protesters and marchers. Police are bracing for protest actions in the city over the issue of extra-judicial killings, and the 21st anniversary of the EDSA-1 revolution. Step one Meanwhile, anti-administration groups hailed Alston's report as a stinging rebuke for government and a vindication for the victims. Human rights group Karapatan maintained that Alston's report was a wakeup call to the government to acknowledge the problem and stop its "denial mode." "The first step is to acknowledge that there is a problem," Karapatan spokeswoman Ruth Cervantes said in a separate interview on dzXL. Karapatan lists 834 victims of extrajudicial killings since 2001, but the police's Task Force Usig noted only 116 murders during the same period. For its part, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) said Alston's report counters the denials by the Arroyo government clearing itself of responsibility in the spate of killings. "It 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 Reyes Jr. He added that, "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." - GMANews.TV