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The Department of Justice has yet to determine if the killings of nine alleged activist group members in Calabarzon could be investigated by a committee on extra-legal killings or be under regular law enforcement agencies, an official said on Tuesday.

In a televised press briefing, Department of Justice Undersecretary Adrian Sugay said his office hopes to come up with preliminary findings "in the next 24 to 48 hours" if the Calabarzon cases could be handled by the Inter-Agency Committee on Extra-Legal Killings and Enforced Disappearances as provided under Administrative Order No. 35 issued in 2012.

"We will see if we will pass these (cases) to our law enforcement agencies like PNP (Philippine National Police) for regular investigation or we will form (a team) under AO 35 mechanism through the Department of Justice as chair of special investigation team in order to thoroughly investigate these cases," he explained.

Among the cases that the DOJ committee under AO 35 being investigated were the murder of peasant leader Randall Echanis and Negros-based activist Zara Alvarez, both in August last year, Sugay said.

In separate police and military operations last Sunday, nine alleged activists were killed and six arrested in Cavite, Batangas, and Rizal.

Critics have blamed President Rodrigo Duterte for his latest order to the law enforces to "kill, kill, kill" the members of the communist New People's Army why the police and military personnel have apparently become more bloody in effecting search warrants. Celerina Monte/DMS