De Lima urged to probe vigilante killings in Davao City

A congressman from Davao City on Wednesday urged Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to pursue the investigation on the summary killings in his area that were allegedly perpetrated by a private armed group. Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles said the summary killings and human rights abuses in the city should be at the forefront of De Lima’s priorities. He said as former chairman of the Commission on Human Rights, De Lima has advance knowledge of the activities of the so-called Davao Death Squad (DDS) and the people behind it. He said the DDS is blamed for over 1,000 vigilante killings in Davao City since 1998. “As Justice secretary, she is now in the best position to investigate and pursue the prosecution of those involved with the DDS. She should finish what she started," Nograles said in a statement. The CHR, under De Lima, created Task Force DDS and conducted a fact-finding inquiry on the killings. Nograles noted the killings even caught the attention of the international community. “It is a shame that even after the UN and other International Human Rights groups have taken notice of the DDS, our own government has not arrested or prosecuted a single culprit. I hope that this will change now under the Aquino administration," the neophyte lawmaker said. He said that with the commitment of President Benigno Aquino III for a justice-centered presidency, he is hopeful that the DDS killings will be brought to light through De Lima. - Amita O. Legaspi/KBK, GMANews.TV