BATO DELA ROSA’S CALL FOR SENATE INVESTIGATION ON DRUG WAR: A MOCKERY OF JUSTICE

Karapatan slams Sen. Rogelio “Bato” dela Rosa’s call for a motu proprio investigation in the Senate to counter the ongoing hearings in the House Quad Committee in relation to the implementation of Duterte’s bloody drug war.

“What sort of fairness and impartiality do we expect from an investigation called by no less than a human rights violator himself? Obviously, Sen. Del Rosa wanted to defend Duterte and his cohorts in a controlled environment that is favorable to him, said Atty. Sol Taule, KARAPATAN deputy secretary general.

Karapatan stressed that the recent testimonies of Duterte’s trusted executors and henchmen are too serious to ignore, including the statement made by Ret. Police Col. Royina Garma, implicating Rodrigo Duterte and other high ranking police officials as responsible for the drug war killings, using a reward scheme.

“Duterte, dela Rosa and other government officials who were complicit in these killings should be held accountable. We should not allow these people to take control of the investigations that the victims have long been waiting for. We demand justice for the victims, impunity should end now,” said Taule.

While the public attention is focused on the QuadComm hearings, the Marcos Jr. administration should not be left untouched in this whole pursuit of justice. Marcos Jr. has not totally junked the policy of the drug war campaign, there remains lives taken away each day, with police officers involved in the previous administration still at the helm.

“Marcos Jr. should not be spared in our call for justice and accountability. Let us remember that he refused to join the ICC. The drug war continues and human rights violators enjoy impunity to the fullest, denying thousands of families of justice, while still failing to address and implement a real and comprehensive solution to the drug problem. The buck does not stop with Duterte. Marcos Jr. poses more grave attacks on human rights, now more than ever,” Taule ended. #