Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra assured that the government will make public the results on the review conducted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on cases involving deaths in illegal drugs operations.
“The government has no intention of keeping its review and investigation of the anti-illegal drugs campaign secret, as this matter is openly reported to the people as the process goes along,” Guevarra said on Friday, Oct. 8.
He responded to the statement made by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet who said: "I encourage publication of the panel's findings so its work can be evaluated.”
The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers has backed up Bachelet’s call.
“We subscribe to the need to publish the findings of the rather belated ‘investigations’ by the Philippine government on the paltry cases related to the ‘drug war’ so it can be ‘evaluated’ and to ensure transparency,” NUPL said through its President Edre U. Olalia.
The DOJ had finished its review of the records of the initial 52 cases turned over by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and had submitted the results to President Duterte. One of the 52 cases was not on illegal drugs.
The President cited the results, in passing, in his address before the United Nations General Assembly.
Thereafter, the DOJ and the PNP tackled the results of the review and agreed to turn them over to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for case build-up.
If evidence warrants, criminal cases will be filed by the NBI against the policemen involved in the killings.