BRUSSELS – President Aquino presented yesterday the arrest of retired general Jovito Palparan as an example that the government does not tolerate extrajudicial killings.
Speaking at a forum at Egmont, the Royal Institute for International Relations, an independent think tank based in Brussels, Aquino said Palparan, accused of human rights violations, is now in jail, and is undergoing trial for the disappearance of two student activists who went missing while under the custody of his men.
“We have instituted a task force whose primary mission is to take cognizance of all of these extrajudicial killings or alleged extra-judicial killings, with the end in view of arresting every culprit regardless of whether it was a media individual, an activist or any other individual,” he said.
Aquino said the government has been investigating all allegations of extra-judicial killings.
“In terms of so-called media killings... and other human rights abuses alleged on our government, it is not our policy to encourage or even abet any transgressions of the law,” he said.
Aquino said he does not agree with blanket statements quoting statistics on extrajudicial killings, including those from the media.
“Did they die because they were investigative journalists?” he asked. “Were they exercising their profession in a responsible manner – living up to journalistic ethics? Or did they perish because of other reasons?”
Aquino said some members of the media were not killed because of their job.
“Now, in our culture, when somebody dies, one does not talk about his own transgressions that were not necessarily related to the job,” he said. “And in the absence of our stating what happened in a particular case, it is assumed that what is being propagandized is the actual reason for a person’s demise, and I have caused a review of this particular policy... We have adopted a policy that the only deterrence to crime is the certainty of punishment.”
Aquino said finding the culprits and placing them behind bars must be a complete narrative to assure the people that those arrested, judged and jailed are the actual criminals.
“If we should talk about the numbers, from 2001 to June 2010... I took office in June 2010, there were recorded, validated media killings of 39,” he said.
“Those happening from my assumption into office another 15 – a total of 54. Now, cases with conviction have already numbered 10 and most of these were for those crimes that were done before I assumed office.”
Aquino said his administration wants justice for the victims and their families right away, but that the judiciary was beyond the control of the executive.
“Now, in our system also, the judicial branch is not directly under my office,” he said.