There have been many developments since the Commission on Human Rights came here on March 30 to look into the flagrant extrajudicial killings in the city. But I wasn’t able to blog about them because I have been up to something else lately. I am glad, though, that I was still able to keep track of them, thanks to the ever-reliable Google Alerts.
Here then is an attempt to put together the events that ensued since the CHR’s visit:
May 29, 2009 (The day I started to monitor the issue)
CIDG files rap vs Davao Sur Cop
June 1, 2009
The journalist David McNeill visited Davao City and came up with a piece, Tough justice: On the trail of Philippines death squads, which was published in the British publication The Independent and in other international publications as well. (Here, here, here, and here)
June 3, 2009
In response to the allegation that some members of the Davao City Police are moonlighting as death squad gunmen, Davao City Police Director Senior Supt. Ramon Apolinario said DCPO was willing to probe its own cops.
June 4, 2009
UN noted 70% drop in killings. From Malaya: “…Prof. Philip Alston has reported a 70 percent drop in cases of unexplained killings in the Philippines since 2007 when he was sent here by the UN to look into allegedly increasing human rights cases.”
June 6, 2009
“Davao death squad killings have spilled into Cebu,” argued the columnist Juan Mercado in his column, “Cebu’s Death Squad.”
June 14, 2009
RP no longer on UN rights prober’s itinerary, reported the Philippine Daily Inquirer. It said: “The Philippines was no longer on the itinerary of United Nations (UN) official Philip Alston who was preparing to visit other countries before wrapping up his tenure as special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions, Commission on Human Rights (CHR) chairperson Leila de Lima said.”
June 23, 2009
Death squad investigation set, reported the Business World. It said: “The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) announced yesterday the formation of an inter-agency task force that will look into the so-called Davao Death Squads (DDS), a vigilante group linked to extralegal killings in Davao City.”
June 26, 2009
ABS-CBN News Online reported: "Top national and local government executives remain in denial over summary executions perpetrated by the alleged Davao Death Squads, the chief of the Commission on Human Rights said Friday."
In the same report, De Lima also announced the forming of a DDS Task Force whose head will be De Lima herself. The Task Force includes representatives from different government agencies: DOJ, DSWD, NBI, DILG, PDEA, BJMP, DND, Human Rights Affairs Office of both the PNP and the AFP.
(This will be updated from time to time.)
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