Poe tells PNP: Justice for drug war casualties more important than correct figures, terms

More than just coming up with the correct terms and figures, the Philippine National Police (PNP) should focus on bringing justice to victims of killings, Senator Grace Poe said Tuesday. 

Poe reminded the government of its duty to protect the lives of each Filipino amid its ongoing war on drugs.

“Sa kabila ng tawaran sa tamang bilang ng namatay dahil sa kampanya sa droga, at sa tamang terminolohiya kung ito ay marapat na tawaging EJK, dapat ipagdiinan na ang buhay ng bawat Pilipino, lalo na ang mahihirap, ay mahalaga at dapat protektahan ng gobyerno at kapulisan,” Poe said in a text statement. 

“Hindi dapat malihis ang usapin ng katarungan para sa mga namatayan at ang pananagutan ng mga nagkasala, pulis man o hindi, sa simpleng away lamang ng tamang bilang ng mga marahas na pinatay ng walang paglilitis,” she said. 

Poe made the statement after PNP chief Director General Ronaldo “Bato” dela Rosa slammed the supposed “false reporting” on the number of killings under the Duterte administration. 

On Monday, Dela Rosa said the term “EJK” or extrajudicial killing should not be used as it insinuates that the recent killings are state-sponsored. He also refuted anew that there are 7,000 cases of EJKs. 

The PNP then released figures of homicide cases numbering 6,011 from July 1, 2016 to March 24, 2017.

Director Augusto Marquez of the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management said only 1,398 or 23.2 percent of those cases are drug-related and 828 or 13.8 percent were not drug-related. Sixty-three percent or 3,785 cases, meanwhile, have yet to be determined if related to drugs or not. —KG, GMA News