SC summit tackles killings

The Supreme Court (SC) will host a two-day summit starting today at the Manila Hotel to find ways to address the unsolved killings and enforced disappearances of media workers and political activists.

The National Consultative Summit on Extrajudicial Killings and Enforced Disappearances will include representatives from the three branches of government as well as civil society who will propose solutions to put an end to the unsolved killings.

At the end of the summit, conference sponsors will come up with a report.

Supreme Court spokesman Atty. Midas Marquez said the suggestions would be sent to the executive and legislative departments and to the judiciary for consideration.

Confirmed speakers in the summit include retired Supreme Court justice Jose Melo, Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, Commission on Human Rights chair Purificacion Quisumbing, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr., Philippine National Police Director General Oscar Calderon, Rep. Teodoro Locsin Jr., and Department of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez.

Former Senate president Jovito Salonga leads the representatives from the nongovernment organizations while Luis Teodoro of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility will represent the media. Fr. Joaquin Bernas, S.J., will represent academe.

Marquez said the summit is aimed at arriving at holistic solutions and providing inputs to the High Court in its objective of enhancing existing rules, or promulgating new ones, in the protection and enforcement of constitutional rights, including the protection of witnesses.

“You will notice that the Chief Justice has been very visible these days because this is something that is very close to his heart and he views that the extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances as an affront to the judicial system. That is why he is really taking an active role, being visible and taking lead in trying to search for solutions to end this problem,” said Marquez.

Marquez adds that the Supreme Court is also urging the public to be vigilant in order to ensure that the measures to be proposed in the conference will be effectively employed.

Last March, Chief Justice Reynato Puno designated 99 regional trial courts nationwide to hear, try, and decide cases involving killings of judges, political activists, and members of the media.

The summit also aims to revisit the rules of evidence and to explore more remedies for the aggrieved parties aside from the writ of habeas corpus, Marquez said.

Likewise, the conference aims to examine the concept of unexplained killings and enforced disappearances pursuant to the standards provided for by local and international laws, including United Nations instruments.