PNP denies engaging in EJKs, dismisses Amnesty Int'l, US gov't reports

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday dismissed reports that extrajudicial killings (EJKs) are still prevailing in the country under the Marcos administration.

At a press conference, PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo also denied allegations that the PNP has been engaging in EJKs.

“The PNP and other law enforcement agencies for that matter does not engage in EJKs,” Fajardo said.

“Kung titignan po natin yung legal meaning po ng EJK, ang ibig sabihin po nito ay deliberate intent na pagpatay sa isang tao without lawful authority coming from any judicial proceeding na talagang state-sponsored po ito. Wala pong ganun,” she added.

(If we look at the legal meaning of EJK, it means deliberate intent to kill someone without lawful authority coming from any judicial proceeding, that is actually state-sponsored. There is no such thing.)

A United States government report earlier said that extrajudicial killings (EJKs) remain a serious problem in the Philippines in 2023 and that there were no significant changes in the country’s human rights situation.

“EJKs, largely by police but also by other security forces, remained a serious problem,” the US Department of State said in its 58-page Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.

“In addition, politically motivated killings, including of journalists, were reported during the year,” it added.

Also, Amnesty International on Wednesday called on President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to make a categorical "policy pronouncement" against the war on drugs.

Amnesty International Philippines director Butch Olano said Marcos should "make an explicit and categorical policy pronouncement to end the so-called war on drugs and EJKs."

Citing data from UP’s Dahas Project, which documents drug-related killings, Olano said there were 329 individuals killed in 2023. He also said UP’s Third World Studies Center found that 342 individuals were killed from June 2022 to June 2023.

Due to this, he said there were at least 600 people killed during the first 19 months of the Marcos administration.

Far from PNP records

Fajardo said the figures of Amnesty International were far from the record of the PNP. She said the police organization will release its data once consolidated.

According to Fajardo, even in the previous PNP leadership, there was no order to deliberately kill a subject of a police operation.

“Ang sinasabi po nila ay nagtutuloy-tuloy. Pero malinaw po ang sabi ng ating Presidente na lahat po ng kampanya natin against criminality lalong-lalo na po sa illegal drugs ang gusto po niya ay holistic approach po ang gawin natin,” she added.

(What they are saying is that EJKs are continuing. But our President clearly said that all our campaigns against criminality, especially illegal drugs, he wants us to do in a holistic approach.) — RSJ, GMA Integrated News