PNP hopes UN rights body will issue balanced report on war vs drugs
The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Friday said while they respect the opinion of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN OHCHR) they hope that it will release a balanced report.
Brigadier General Bernard Banac, PNP spokesperson, made the statement in a radio interview after UNCHR said police planted guns with same serial number as evidence against a drug suspect they killed to support their “nanlaban” (fought back) claim.
In its 26- page report, UN OHCHR said they examined police documents in 25 operations in Metro Manila where 45 people were killed.
“Well, we respect the findings or opinion of OHCHR … but the generalization is a bit hasty and it appears that is really happening,” Banac said.
“It is the opposite of what we are doing… the PNP is a professional institution who follows the rule and as we always emphasize, respect the human rights,” he said.
Banac admitted that some police officers are doing illegal activities but charges were filed against those people.
“It was not also mentioned on the UN report that more than 100 cops died in ‘War on Drugs’… The organization is not perfect but it is better if the report is balanced. We are in no position to question them since we are only a law enforcement agency,” Banac said.
“We will just let the national government to properly respond to it,” he added.
On the allegation of planted guns, Banac said doing the thing is against the “rules of evidence” and while there might be some who do it, he said they don’t tolerate such act.
He said the PNP is ready for any probe in the allegation.
“The PNP is ready to face any investigation and if it will be proved that some of our men were guilty (for this action), we will not tolerate it and we will punish them,” Banac said.
According to UN, the pattern of police reports suggest planting of evidence by police officers and cast doubts on the self-defense narrative, implying the victims were likely unarmed at the time of killing.
But Banac said there is no other way to describe a buy-bust operation in a different manner.
“We don’t know how to describe it in different way if that is really what happened. We don’t know what narrative the UN OHCHR wants to see if that is the actual incident,” he said.
Banac said it is only Solicitor General Jose Calida who can give comments on investigation in regards to the war on drugs of the Duterte administration. Ella Dionisio/DMS
