Agreement on DOJ-PNP joint review of EJKs, deaths in drug war ready 'in next few days'

The Department of Justice (DOJ is expected to finish “in the next few days” the draft agreement with the Philippine National Police (PNP) for closer cooperation in the investigation of alleged extra-judicial killings (EJKs), illegal drug operations that resulted in deaths to suspects, and “other related cases.”

DOJ Undersecretary Adrian Ferdinand S. Sugay on Wednesday, May 26, said: “We are currently working on the memorandum of agreement as per the instructions of Secretary (Menardo I.) Guevarra, and we hope to finalize this document in the next few days.”
“In the meantime, we will already coordinate with PNP-IAS (Philippine National Police-Internal Affairs Service) in preparation for the review of these case files,” Sugay said.
The decision to have an agreement was reached during the meeting held between Secretary Guevarra and PNP Chief Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar last Friday, May 21.
Guevarra said that during the meeting, Eleazar also agreed to have the DOJ access and review 61 cases where the PNP-IAS found “clear liability” among policemen involved following the investigation of thousands of cases concerning deaths in anti-illegal drugs operations.
Aside from the PNP, a DOJ-led review panel has also been reviewing over 5,000 anti-illegal drugs operations that have been conducted since 2016 and have resulted to deaths.
Meanwhile, National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) through its President Edre U. Olalia expressed distrust over the moves being made in the government.
“Victims, families and witnesses in the so-called drug war and rights advocates cannot be euphoric at this supposed shift,” he said in a statement.
Olalia also does not believe there are “only 61 cases are currently seen with ‘clear liability’ out of the thousands of cases.”
“The disclosure of the records, given the inordinate delay, the hemming and hedging, the issues of transparency, impartiality and independence, and the insultingly petty number to be made available, may even eventually validate the view that it may have been sanitized and cherry-picked to be used as possible ‘showcases,’ inconclusive or not emblematic as they may turn out to be,” Olalia said.
But he said he is willing to give the benefit of the doubt to Guevarra and Eleazar.