The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has submitted to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for review the records of 107 cases involving the agency’s illegal drugs operations.
PDEA’s submission was an offshoot of the turnover by the Philippine National Police (PNP) to the DOJ of the records of 52 drug war cases in which the PNP’s Internal Affairs Service (IAS) has found liability on the part of policemen.
Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra said: “As the panel reviews these new records, the DOJ closely monitors the preliminary investigation and prosecution of 87 criminal cases lodged against over a hundred law enforcement personnel arising from alleged wrongful conduct related to or arising from anti-illegal drug operations.”
“The commencement of new investigations and prosecutorial action will depend on the outcome of the panel’s ongoing work,” he pointed out.
As part of the Philippine government’s commitment before the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), a DOJ-led panel has been reviewing since last year cases involving deaths during anti-illegal drugs operations that have taken place since 2016 under the administration of President Duterte.
In his UNHRC speech, Guevarra shared “the panel’s key findings in its initial output.”
“One of these (findings) is our observed deviation by some law enforcement agents from the standard protocols which require coordination with other agencies in law enforcement operations and in the processing of the crime scene,” he said.
He also told the UNHRC that “the panel’s next immediate task was to ensure that the proper disciplining authorities act upon and carry out the recommendations made by appropriate internal units for administrative and criminal action.”
“Since that statement at the Human Rights Council, the Department of Justice and the review panel have achieved significant progress towards the fulfillment of our mandate,” he stressed.