The Philippine National Police denied the numbers reported by the Human Rights Watch on the rise of extrajudicial killings in the country during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
PNP Chief for Administration PLtGen. Guillermo Eleazar himself gave a statement saying that drug-related killings rose by less than five percent, a big difference from the figure released by the HRW.
“Tumaas po pero 4.9 percent or wala pong five percent. Ginawa nilang 50 percent so pinabubulaanan po natin ‘yon,” said Eleazar.
[It rose by 4.9 percent or less than five percent. They turned it into 50 percent and we are denying that.]
Moreover, he assured that the police monitors police officers who abuse human rights, and urged citizens to report those who step over their rights.
“Ito’y pinag-usapan na natin ng ilang beses, pero kung meron ebidensya at meron pagkakamali ang pulis di po tinotolerate ‘yan ng ating pamunuan at an investigation must be done. Mananagot kung may abuso sa karapatang pantao ang ating mga pulis,” says Eleazar.
[We have talked about this several times, but if there is evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the police, it will not be tolerated and an investigation must be done. The police will be held accountable if they have abused human rights.]
The PNP’s statement came after the European Union Parliament recommended to revoke the Philippines’ tariff perks over what it referred to as serious human rights violations in the country.
