HRW ‘blind, deaf and dumb’ to gov’t efforts vs ‘scalawag’ policemen—Palace

FILE: Newly-appointed Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. (VALERIE ESCALERA/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO)

Malacañang on Sunday took a swipe against New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) for “playing blind, deaf and dumb” in supposedly snubbing the efforts of the Duterte administration in addressing alleged abuses of the police.

Roque said in a statement that the latest remarks of the HRW that the Philippine government has not made genuine efforts to seek accountability on alleged abuses in our anti-drug campaign are “simply off track.”

“HRW has a penchant for playing blind, deaf and dumb, refusing to acknowledge the efforts of the Administration in addressing alleged abuses of scalawag policemen,” Roque said.

The spokesman said the human rights watchdog group must be reminded that the entire police force in Caloocan, in connection to the case of 17-year-old Kian Lloyd Delos Santos who was slain in an anti-drug operation in the city, was relieved because of alleged abuses.

After noise against police abuses, Roque also said that the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) was designated to be the lead agency in the government anti-drug operations.

“Lest we forget, as much as due process governs the cases of alleged victims, the same must likewise be accorded to state agents accused of being perpetrators,” Roque added.

The latest tirades came after Param-Preet Singh, associate director of HRW, said there are no “genuine efforts” to investigate the alleged extrajudicial killings as a result of the drug war.

“The government has made no genuine efforts to seek accountability for drug war abuses. There have been no successful prosecutions or convictions of police implicated in summary killings despite compelling evidence of such abuses,” Singh said.

Stressing a “notable resurgence in illegal drugs,” President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) to actively PDEA in the drug war.

Roque said Duterte responded to “public clamor” to bring back the police in the narcotics crackdown.

Meanwhile, PDEA remained as the lead agency in the campaign.