Former Bayan Muna Congressman Neri Colmenares today urged the Quad Committee to look into four sets of drug war victims who also cry out for justice as this could also lead to witnesses who could testify in the Quad hearings on extra-judicial killings (EJK).
“We are glad the Quad committee is pursuing various leads in its investigation but their last two hearings opened up new sets of victims who also need their attention. The first set is those who were included in the drug war merely because they are members of the opposition, including government officials, like Sen. Leila de Lima. The Quad could also investigate the killings of mayors and other LGU officials considering the exposé that reward money given for mayors is higher. This would include the likes of Bohol Mayor Ronald Aquino and Kanlaon City Councilor Ramon Jalandoni of Negros”.
“The second set includes the likes of Gen. Wesley Barayuga who was killed merely because he was opposing corruption under the Duterte administration. Gen. Barayuga has no involvement at all with drugs, but because he opposed the corruption in the PCSO, he was included in the drug list and later assassinated in the name of Duterte’s drug war,” he added
“The third set includes lawyers of drug suspects whose only involvement is appearing as counsel to drug suspects. This would include Atty. John Ungab and Atty. Rogelio Bato who were lawyers of Kerwin Espinosa, NUPL lawyers Juan Macababad and Ben Ramos who resisted Duterte’s drug war and another innocent victim Atty. Anthony Trinidad of Dumaguete. A total of 61 lawyers were killed during the Duterte administration”, added Colmenares who is also a human rights lawyer.
“The fourth set includes human rights defenders who merely criticized Duterte for the killings in the drug war. Duterte publicly ordered the killing of lawyers and human rights defenders in his regular drug war speeches. This set would include Ariel and Ana Mariz Evangelista who were killed in the Bloody Sunday massacre in Batangas, the Tumandok killings in Iloilo and many other operations led by then Gen. Debold Siñas. Lahat ng mga biktimang ito ay walang kinalaman sa droga pero sila ay pinatay sa ngalan ng drug war ni Pres. Duterte. Their family also deserve justice,” said the former Bayan Muna congressman
Colmenares also hit Sen. Ronald dela Rosa for what he calls dela Rosa’s “self-serving and absurd idea of conducting a senate investigation to investigate his own involvement in the drug war. Judges in courts or administrative tribunals inhibit themselves if they have any relation to a party in the case they are investigating,”
In this case, Sen. Dela Rosa is going to investigate the killings which involve himself, his benefactor Duterte and his PNP subordinates. In previous statements, he swears he is innocent of any involvement to the killings. Hindi pa nga nagsimula ang imbistigasyon nya, inabswelto na niya ang sarili nya. Sen. Dela Rosa should be among the investigated not the one leading the investigation. This is just so absurd and we hope the Senate will not allow itself to be dragged into the zarzuela in that senate investigation.” ended Colmenares.#
