​Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, a human rights advocate, on Monday, July 7, filed a measure defining extrajudicial killing (EJK) and penalizing those who commit it.

This, as she cited the deaths of thousands of people, including the innocent ones, during the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

De Lima, a fierce critic of Duterte's deadly war on drugs, filed House Bill (HB) No. 1432 or the proposed Anti-Extrajudicial Killing Act of 2025 in a bid to ensure accountability from state and non-state actors.

In filing the bill, the former senator cited the deaths of tens of thousands of people during the previous Duterte administration. Tragically, a significant portion of the victims..''.are those of innocent men, women and even children who were either caught in crossfire or misidentified as drug personalities,'' she added.

She also cited the killings of peasant farmers and human rights activists, which she said continues to this day.

In light of these incidents, she said, ''the Filipino as a nation cannot negate that EJK is a clear and present phenomenon of the times, boldly challenging our constitutionally protected human right against the taking of life, and a transgression of due process and the presumption of innocence of criminal suspects''.

Under the bill, EJK is defined as unlawful, and deliberate killing of targeted individuals or groups thereof, carried out by agents of the state and under its order or acquiescence in lieu of arrest, investigation and prosecution.

As per the bill, EJK includes summary killing perpetrated by private individuals for purposes of carrying out on their own or in the context of vigilantism, a campaign or policy of the state.

In her measure, De Lima sought life imprisonment without parole as penalty for those who commit the violations.

It shall be imposed upon any public officer, person in authority, agent of a person in authority or private individual found guilty of EJK, the bill stated.