CHR to participate in probe on March 7 deaths of 9 activists in South Luzon -- Guevarra

Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra on Sunday, March 14, said the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) will participate in the investigation on the March 7 deaths of nine activists in South Luzon provinces.

Guevarra said the inter-agency committee formed in 2012 to investigate incidents of extra-judicial killings (EJKs) reached out to the CHR to help in the probe.

The CHR is an independent constitutional office that investigates all forms of human rights violations involving civil and political rights.

Under Administrative Order No. 35 that created the inter-agency committee, the participation of the CHR and the Office of the Ombudsman in the investigation is limited to being “observers and resource persons.”

Aside from the DOJ as lead agency, the committee is composed of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of National Defense (DND), the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, the Presidential Human Rights Committee, the Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine National Police (PNP), and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

The committee investigates not only EJKs but also cases involving enforced disappearances, torture and other grave violations of the right to life, liberty and security of persons.

“Kami mismo ang nag-take ng initiative na kausapin ang CHR, Commission on Human Rights natin, kasi isa yan sa mga pinangako rin sa United Nations na we will work more closely from here on with our own CHR” (We took the initiative to talk to the CHR because we promised the UN that we will work more closely with our CHR),” Guevarra said during a radio interview over DZBB.

“Kaya kahapon lamang nakipag-kontak na ako sa representante ng CHR at sinabi ko sa kanila na nag-create na kami ng special investigating teams dito under the AO 35 committee at hinihiling ko ang kanilang cooperation para sa case build-up” (That is why I contacted yesterday the representative of the CHR and informed them about the creation of special investigating teams under the AO-35 committee and we asked their cooperation for the case build-up), he said.

“Ang CHR naman ang nag-sabi na handa silang tumulong dito sa committee ng AO 35” (the CHR said they are willing to help the AO 35 committee), he added.

Last March 7, police and the military conducted joint operations in serving search warrants at the offices and homes of persons with suspected links to communist groups in Cavite, Laguna, Rizal and Batangas.

However, the operations resulted in the deaths of nine persons who were allegedly unarmed. Six persons were also arrested.

Guevarra explained that the AO 35 committee decided to investigate the killings after an assessment of the incidents showed they fall under its jurisdiction.

“Yung mga biktima in our preliminary assessment based doon sa mga reports na natanggap namin were members of environmental groups; isang labor group, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan; a peasant group, Pamalakaya which is a fishermen’s group” (The victims, based on the preliminary assessment of the reports we received, were members of environmental groups; labor group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan; and peasant group Pamalakaya which is a fishermen’s group), he said.

“So in other words, mga advocacy groups ito at ang kabilang party na sinasabi na nagper-petrate ng kanilang violent deaths ay state forces, more particularly, the PNP supported by the AFP” (these are advocacy groups and the other party which perpetrated their deaths are state forces, more particularly, the PNP support by the AFP), he added.

Since the PNP-AFP operations were legitimate and the search warrants valid, Guevarra said that “bibigyan natin sila ng benefit of the doubt” (the benefit of the doubt will be given) “in fairness to them.”

“Yung root ng violence na yun ang i-imbestigahan ng special investigating teams created by the DOJ” (The roots of the violence will be investigated by the special investigating teams created by the DOJ), Guevarra said.

He added that the investigating teams will also look into allegations made by the PNP and AFP that those who died are members of the New People’s Army (NPA) which he described as one of the “violent groups.”