Senators are calling for an end to the spate of killings in the country. Senator Richard Gordon, chairman of the Senate justice and human rights committee, said on Thursday, March 11 that the recent deaths and crimes already constitute a violation of human rights.

"Lately, with all the occurrent crimes that have been perpetrated and many people died, you know, it really has gone to a point that -- I say this -- there a violation of the Constitution, particularly the Bill of Rights," he said during the Senate justice committee's hearing on the matter.

"More and more events have transpired or people are killed," he observed.

Gordon particularly cited the killing of nine activists in the Calabarzon during a series of police operations on Sunday, March 7, pointing out that even the accused have the right to life and be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures.

"Kahit na sino pang masamang tao, drug pusher, kahit na sino pa, kung hindi binigay ang due process (Whoever that bad person is, a drug pusher, anyone, if you refuse to give him due process), you are guilty . You'll be adjudged guilty if we do not follow the rules of engagement and protect the basic rights of the accused," said the senator, who is also a lawyer.

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto also said: "The dirty war should end and the death squads stopped if we want to spare our democracy from lasting damage that would take generations to fix."

Recto lamented the "epidemic of unsolved killings", warning that it will "erode" the people's trust in the country's justice system.

"Every time a lawyer is killed, a judge waylaid, an activist executed, a mayor ambushed, a slum teenager murdered, an agent of the state silenced, it strengthens the perception that justice is elusive and crime does pay," he said.

"A weakened belief in the rule of law is not a legacy we would like to leave our children," he pointed out.

The Senate leader raised his concern that the "killings done with impunity" will encourage people to take matters on their own.

"Bakit pa nga ba ihahabla, kung mas mabilis ang bala (Why do we need to charge them, when bullets are faster)?" "That, I fear, is the greatest damage to society, and the greatest threat to our children’s future, where they will have to live in fear because the democratic guarantee of 'justice for all' is gone," he said.

Alluding to the deaths in Southern Luzon, Recto reminded the government that "the opposition is needed as watchdogs against excesses."

"Life and liberty are precious. And activism is not terrorism," he said.

"In fact, government should side with activists who fight for better wages, who campaign for decent housing, because these are the very same things it has vowed to fight for the people," Recto added.

"Yes, government should fight with all its might against armed combatants. But in the peaceful contest of ideas, it is unfair for the state to bring guns to a policy fight," he said.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) leadership denied any irregularities in their operations, claiming the activists fought it out with them when they were serving search warrants in their offices and houses.