The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said that the government’s statistics of killed drug suspects and deaths under investigation are ‘not the real numbers’ as there are ‘other kinds of killings’ related to the Duterte administration’s drug war that has yet to be included in the data.
“Well at this point, we cannot yet conclusively say that those are the real numbers so far because the investigation as to the other kinds of killings have not yet been concluded,” Spokesperson Jacqueline De Guia said in GMA’s 24 Oras report.
“Therefore, there is still a possibility that the numbers will increase,” she added.
Meanwhile, De Guia expressed hopes that the CHR and the Philippine National Police (PNP) could still form a joint task force that would probe the killings and that both offices could have regular joint meetings.
“We are now hopeful and optimistic because we are really counting that in 2018… because the PNP is in the drug campaign again, then those two other proposals will be offered soon,” De Guia said.
Last September, CHR chairperson Chito Gascon had proposed for the creation of CHR-PNP collaboration but was not accepted. It can be recalled that Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said that Malacañang was not in favor of the suggestion.
(DAILY NEWS ROUND UP FOR 12/ 28/ 17)