THE Department of Justice (DOJ) now holds the reins in pushing forward the case of crimes against humanity against former president Rodrigo Duterte, Senators Christopher “Bong” Go and Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, concerning the alleged 30,000 victims of extra-judicial killings (EJK) during Duterte’s war on drugs.
The Quad Committee has also forwarded the corruption cases against active government personnel to the Office of the Ombudsman for further action.
“We have submitted our progress report to the relevant agencies. For instance, the cases against active government personnel involved in corruption have been forwarded to the Ombudsman, while the criminal cases have been forwarded to the DOJ,” said Surigao del Norte Representative Robert Ace Barbers.
Last week, Barbers released their progress report, which, in addition to Duterte, Go, and Dela Rosa, also named former Philippine National Police (PNP) chiefs Oscar David Albayalde and Debold Sinas; Police Colonels Royina Garma and Edilberto Leonardo; and former Go aide Herminia “Muking” Espino as facing charges of crimes against humanity.
Furthermore, a murder case has been filed against Duterte, Garma, Leonardo, SP04 Arthur Narsolis, and Bureau of Correction SUPT. Gerardo Padilla for the killing of three Chinese nationals at the Davao Prison and Penal Farm on August 13, 2016.
Barbers expressed confidence in the DOJ’s ability to handle the case against Duterte, stating that the agency has gathered substantial evidence to prove the charges of crimes against humanity.
“There are thousands of Filipinos who have died due to killings by members of the Philippine National Police during the implementation of the war on drugs. They claim that there were orders from above, citing a circular or memorandum issued by the former PNP Chief, who is now a Senator,” Barbers said.
The case has been strengthened by testimonies from resource persons who have received incentives, as they were “paid for killing high-value targets and alleged drug personalities,” the congressman added.
Based on their investigation, the committee has established the existence of a systematic killing system, which, according to Barbers, falls under Section 6 of Republic Act (RA) 9851, or the “Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and other Crimes against Humanity.”
