Department of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra (Screengrab from UN Web TV)
MANILA – The Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) has hailed the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) drug war review panel for affirming the government’s efforts to address concerns surrounding deaths in police drug war operations.
PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar made this remark after Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra reiterated the government’s commitment to upholding human rights and the greater good of its people before the 46th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland via teleconference on Wednesday.
“Today at the Human Rights Council, Secretary of Justice Menardo Guevara affirmed in the clearest terms the steady work of the government to address concerns on legitimate anti-drug operations where deaths occurred, even as we maintain our firm resolve to protect the Filipinos from the scourge of illegal drugs,” Andanar said.
Andanar said the review panel has endorsed its findings for further action by police authorities and will continue its work in coordination with all concerned government agencies.
“The work of the panel attests to the vitality of the national accountability processes in the country, which uphold peace, justice, and human rights as inter-related pursuits,” he added.
He acknowledged the DOJ’s “steady work” over the past months to review case files despite the pandemic and typhoons.
Meanwhile, he also expressed gratitude to well-performing law enforcement officers for their dedication to police service.
“The Filipino public recognizes the men and women of law enforcement agencies who have honorably dedicated their service and risked their lives to conduct the campaign against illegal drugs across the country, for the protection of the Filipino people and the next generation,” he said.
“We owe the gains of the success of the campaign now being felt tangibly across communities the country to their duty and sacrifice,” he added.
Speaking online before the 46th Session of the Human Rights Council, Guevarra cited the Philippine government’s sustained efforts to further promote and protect the human rights, security, and well-being of Filipinos.
Guevarra said the Philippines’ legal and judicial system and domestic accountability mechanisms are “functioning as they should”.
He also said that the UN in the Philippines has held a series of consultations with government actors, the Commission on Human Rights, and civil society.
Last June, the drug war review panel was created to reinvestigate the 5,655 deaths in police drug war operations.
The review panel, external to the Philippine National Police, reevaluates the cases to file appropriate charges against erring law enforcement officers. (PNA)
