PNP, AFP officials fly to Washington for US Senate probe on killings

Ranking Filipino security officials flew to Washington D.C. last night to present before US lawmakers the Philippine government’s position on the spate of political killings in the country.

The officials were led by Philippine National Police (PNP) Deputy Director Avelino Razon who also led top military officials in attending the inquiry of the US Congress over the unsolved political killings of activists in the Philippines.

Razon said they will present the government’s position that the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) are behind the murders in an apparent attempt to discredit the government and security forces.

"We will help Philippine Ambassador to the US Willy Gaa in presenting documents of the Task Force Usig in its investigation on the unexplained killings," Razon added.

"We will also tell US lawmakers that the records being presented of the militant groups were bloated," he said.

Razon said they will show before the US lawmakers led by Sen. Barbara Boxer the documents disputing the claims made by local human rights groups which they described as inaccurate and bloated.

Razon said among those listed as victims of unexplained murders were the 23 Abu Sayyaf bandits who were killed by police in a failed jailbreak in Taguig in March 2005.

He said the local human rights group Karapatan has also included 23 other cases where it appeared that the alleged victims were killed in legitimate encounters between security forces and NPA guerrillas.

Razon and his group are expected to stay in Washington for more than a week during the entire duration of the US Senate investigation.

Razon expressed optimism the US senators will give weight to their compilation of evidence in relation to the conduct of inquiry.

Razon said that he will personally provide Boxer, chairperson of the Senate subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, with documents of the unexplained killings.

Razon will be accompanied by Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) head Chief Superintendent Edgardo Doromal, Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) deputy chief Col. Gaudencio Pangilinan; and Col. Benedicto Jose of the AFP Human Rights Office.

Razon, who served as former Task Force Usig chief, said he will also take the opportunity to ask the US for additional technical equipment to be used in forensic investigation to upgrade the PNP’s capability in solving murder cases.

The US Senate led by Boxer invited three groups to testify on the unsolved killings and they will include those from the government led by Eric John, deputy assistant secretary for East Asia and Pacific Affairs of the State Department; and Jonathan Farrar, principal assistant secretary of the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.

The second group of resource speakers will include Dr. T. Kumar, advocacy director for Asia and the Pacific Amnesty International (Washington D.C.) and Eugene Martin of the US Institute for Peace while the third group will come from non-government organizations from the Philippines led by Bishop Eliezer Pascua, general secretary of the United Church of Christ of the Philippines (UCCP) and Marie Hilao Hernandez of Karapatan.

Kumar reportedly tackled the issue during the first phase of the US Senate inquiry in relation to the report of Amnesty International claiming the "Philippine military is behind most of the killings." – With Christina Mendez