NUPL president says gov’t’s EJK definition won’t pass int’l standard

The government's "narrow" definition of extrajudicial killings would not even pass the international standard, the president of the National Union of People's Lawyers (NUPL) said Monday.

"Hindi po papasa ang makitid na depinisyon ng gobyerno sa pamantayan sa international maging sa national. Sa esensya...ganito lang po ang EJK, ano po siya, summary killing o execution, without due process of law by the state agents," Atty. Edre Olalia said in an interview on News to Go.

"Sa wika natin ay ito po 'yung agad agaran na pagpatay o pagpaslang ng isang nilalang na walang kaparaanan ng batas o due process, 'yung proteksyon na batas at ang may salarin nito ay 'yung estado o 'yung kanyang mga ahente," he added.

Olalia underscored that saying that there are zero cases of EJKs in the country would be a "denial" of the reality.

"So hindi po totoo na walang EJK. Ano po 'yan, denial po 'yan ng reyalidad, eh lantakan naman po 'yung pagbilang ng pagpatay. Extrajudicial siya kasi labas siya ng judicial process. Makitid po 'yung pagtingin na porke't walang judicial killing ay walang extrajudicial," he said.

"Kaya po extra kasi labas po siya nu'ng dapat na proseso, 'yung dapat na daanan, 'yung binibigyan ng pagkakataon na depensahan ang sarili, tapos pakinggan ang ebidensiya bago maglitis at magbigay ng husga ang isang hukom," he added.

Malacañang has repeatedly said that President Rodrigo Duterte's administration "does not—and will never—condone extrajudicial and vigilante killings."

As of September 30, authorities have been investigating 2,243 incidents with "drug-related motives," according to acting presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.

Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa had said that there has been no cases of EJKs under the Duterte administration so far as he insisted that they will stand by their definition of EJK. —Marlly Rome Bondoc/KG, GMA News