Govt 'superbody' convenes to address extrajudicial slay cases

January 8, 2013 4:53pm

A month after the signing of  Republic Act 10350 or the Anti-Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance Act of 2012, officials from various government agencies on Tuesday convened at the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Manila in an effort to solve cases of extra-judicial killings in the country.

In an interview with reporters, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the primary goal of the committee is to conduct an inventory of cases of extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture and other grave human rights violations committed both by state and non-state actors.

De Lima said the basis for their inventory would be the lists coming from both government sources, as well as non-government and international organizations. The inventory is being done to prioritize the investigation, re-investigation, monitoring and prosecution of the cases.


De Lima admitted it was "very hard to reconcile" the various figures coming from different sources. "Hindi muna kami magme-mention ng number hangga't hindi pa tapos ang review ng technical  working group," she said.

The committee's TWG has been meeting since October and is now finalizing a list of extra-judicial killing cases from 2001 to 2012. It was also responsible for proposing a "working definition" of what constitutes an extra-judicial killing, De Lima said.

De Lima said among the factors to be considered are the circumstances or methods of attack, as well as the motive for it.

She said the inter-agency body has also agreed to create three teams to focus on extra-judicial slays, namely: a special oversight team for cases that are either under trial or under investigation; a special investigating team for new cases; and a team for "special unsolved cases."

The meeting was attended by Presidential political adviser Ronald Llamas, presidential adviser on the peace process Teresita Quintos-Deles, and various officials from the Department of National Defense, Philippine National Police, Department of Interior and Local Government, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the National Bureau of Investigation.


Commission on Human Right chairperson Loretta "Etta" Rosales also attended the meeting as an observer, De Lima said.

The inter-agency committee was created through Administrative Order No. 35 signed by Aquino in November. Apart from the DOJ, other members agencies are the Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of National Defense, Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, Office of the Presidential Adviser for Political Affairs, Presidential Human Rights Committee, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, and the National Bureau of Investigation.

Republic Act No. 10350, or the “desaparecidos” law, is the first of its kind in Asia. Under it, enforced disappearances will be considered a distinct crime, separate from kidnapping, serious illegal detention or murder.

The proposed law imposes lifetime imprisonment on persons directly involved in the crime of enforced disappearances. They are also barred from receiving any form of amnesty. — Mark D. Merueñas/KBK, GMA News