President Duterte’s stand against full access to records of cases on reported extra-judicial killings (EKJs) is a “regression” of the government’s commitment to uphold human rights, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said on Wednesday, June 2.

"The new statement from the government is a setback just when the Philippine National Police (PNP) has already agreed to open around 7,000 cases to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for investigations," said CHR Spokesperson and Jacqueline Ann de Guia.

"The recent developments made by the DOJ and the PNP would have been a start in demonstrating a functional justice system if not for this new roadblock," she lamented.

Last May 31 in his “Talk to the People” address, the President said the government cannot divulge all information related to the war on drugs and fights against insurgency since these are confidential in nature.

He also told the CHR to be careful in assessing drug-related killings and deaths of communist rebels since members of the New People's Army (NPA) and drug lords also know how to kill.

“So iyan ang tandaan ninyo. It’s not pinatay namin ‘yong lahat ng mga masasamang tao. Eh ‘yong mabubuting tao, ‘yong mga sundalo ko nagtatrabaho lang, pulis, patay rin ‘yan sila (So you remember that. It’s not that we killed the bad people. But how about the good ones, the soldiers and policemen who are working, they also get killed) and in numbers,” the President said.

In June 2020, Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra represented the Philippine government before the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and reported that the DOJ is "quietly conducting a judicious review" of 5,655 anti-illegal drugs operations where deaths occurred, including those cases being handled by the AO 35 Inter-Agency Committee on Extra-Legal Killings, Enforced Disappearances, Torture, and Other Grave Violations to Life, Liberty and Security of Persons.

Guevarra said that the CHR "will be involved in its capacity as an independent monitoring body."

De Guia said that while the CHR's participation in the 7,000 cases remains in question at this point, the commission is expressing hope that the government will return to its "course of openness and cooperation" in improving the human rights situation in the country.

"And, in this instance, genuine and straightforward investigations will be the first step in demonstrating a sincere commitment to the protection of human rights and the dignity of all," she stressed.