Extra Judicial Killing in the Philippines

DAVAO CITY, Philippines The United States has expressed concern over the spate of extrajudicial
killings in the country sparked by the governments intensified campaign against illegal drugs.
We are concerned by reports regarding extrajudicial killings of individuals suspected to have been
involved in drug activity in the Philippines, the US embassy said in a statement yesterday.
Over 500 suspected drug pushers and users have been killed in anti-drug operations or have turned
up dead since President Duterte assumed office last June 30.
One of his campaign promises was to stamp out the drug menace in six months.
Our partnership with the Philippines is based on a shared respect for rule of law, and we will
continue to emphasize the importance of this fundamental democratic principle, the US embassy
said.
It also stressed the $32-million grant announced during the recent visit of US Secretary State John
Kerry is not a new funding, but a cumulative amount for projects still being implemented.
We strongly urge the Philippines to ensure its law enforcement efforts are consistent with its human
rights obligations. We strongly believe in the rule of law, due process and respect for universal
human rights, and that these principles promote long-term security, it pointed out.
It also clarified it does not go into details of the invitation for the Philippine charg daffaires in
Washington to report to the State Department to explain Dutertes remarks that US Ambassador
Philip Goldberg is gay.
We have seen reports of inappropriate and unacceptable comments made about Ambassador
Goldberg, a multi-time ambassador and one of the US Department of States most senior diplomats,
the embassy said.
As stated by Elizabeth Trudeau, director of the Office of Press Relations at US Department of State,
the Philippine charg was asked to come to the State Department so we could directly convey our
view that the comments were inappropriate and unacceptable, it added.
Cayetano Dutertes runningmate in the May elections was referring to the scheduled
investigation into the rising incidents of extrajudicial killings by the Senate committee on justice and
human rights; and on public order and illegal drugs chaired by Sens. Leila de Lima and Panfilo
Lacson, respectively

Suspected drug pushers killed in police ops in CL

CAMP OLIVAS - Suspected drug pushers were killed on Thursday

Angeles City police.Bulacan police acting provincial director Senior Supt. Romeo
Caramat said the four suspected drug pushers were slain in his area of responsibility.
Caramat identified those killed as Christopher Yap alias Macmac of Barangay Pulong
Buhangin, Sta. Maria; Lozano Flores alias Anog of Barangay Loma de Gato, Marilao;
Oliver Delos Reyes alias Otoy, a resident of Barangay Sta. Rosa 1, Marilao; and Jess
Pagtalunan of Barangay San Jose, Paombong, all in Bulacan.
He said that Yap, a notorious drug pusher in Sta. Maria, traded shots with the police
team during a buy-bust operation and a calibre .38 revolver and three plastic sachets of
shabu were recovered from the suspect.
Flores, while being arrested after the operation, fired his gun towards police operatives
which prompted them to retaliate, killing him on the spot. A short gun and two plastic
sachets were recovered from the suspect.
He said that Meycauyan police while conducting buy-bust operation against Delos
Reyes traded shots with the operatives after he sensed their presence.
While Pagtalunan, a notorious drug pusher in Paombong, also traded shots with
policemen after he noticed that his poseur buyer was a police officer.
The suspect was killed during an exchange of firefight with police operatives.
Recovered from him were calibre .38 with bullets and several plastic sachets of shabu.
In Angeles City, the slain drug pusher was identified as Alex Casilian of Barangay
Cutcut, said Senior Superintendent Sidney Villaflor, Angeles City police director.
Villaflor said that while his men were conducting an operation at Barangay Cut-Cut, they
saw a male individual talking with the car driver.
He said when the policemen introduced themselves; the driver of the car sped off while
Casilian drew his gun and fired against the lawmen. Casilian was hit in the body and
died on the spot.
He said the suspect was listed number 1 personality in the BADAC watch list and a
Tokhang surrenderee.
Recovered from the suspect were six plastic sachets of suspected shabu and a
revolver. (Ric Sapnu)

Police kill another drug pusher

MANILA A village chair being linked to the drug trade in Pasay City was killed by
the police after he allegedly grabbed an officers gun while he was handcuffed.
This was according to the official report on the death of Edwin Ganan, 44, chairman
of Barangay 29, Zone 5 in Pasay. He was shot several times in the face and chest in
front of the Pasay City General Hospital around 5:15 p.m. Wednesday.
But aside from questioning the report, Ganans common-law wife claimed that her
partner got the worse end of a palit-ulo deal. The Filipino term literally means a
head-swap, but its also street slang for a situation where an arrested criminal rats on a
cohort in exchange for freedom.
In Ganans case, the alleged rat was a fellow Pasay resident who was earlier targeted
in a buy-bust operation by the local police but managed to leave the neighborhood
unharmed, Ganans partner, Nini Crisologo, said.
When the Philippine Daily Inquirer met her on Thursday, an anguished Crisologo
said she would seek justice for Ganan but only after six years, when President
Dutertes term has ended.
Where can I find justice today when the killings have the blessing of the President?
Crisologo told the Inquirer, citing Dutertes pronouncements that he would pardon
cops involved in the killing of drug suspects.
According to Crisologo, Ganan went to the office of the Pasay police chief, Senior
Supt. Nolasco Bathan, on Tuesday morning to clear his name after learning he had
been tagged as a drug pusher. She said her partner did this upon the advice of Pasay
Vice Mayor Boyet del Rosario.
She claimed that a buy-bust operation was conducted in the afternoon that same day at
the house of another Barangay 29 resident, Victor del Mundo, on Propetarious Street,
based on the information Ganan gave the police.
According to the police report on the operation, Ganan, who accompanied the police,
gave two sachets of shabu to the undercover agents as proof and said he had bought
the drug from Del Mundo.
But when Del Mundo was held for questioning, he reversed Ganans story and said
the barangay chair had been the source of drugs in their area. Ganan, a former tenant
in his house, tagged him as a pusher because of a longstanding grudge, Del Mundo
purportedly told the police.
Ganan was later called back to the station, supposedly to sign papers relating to Del
Mundos arrest, but he ended up being tagged as the suspect when he arrived, she said.

Crisologo admitted that Del Mundo and Ganan were indeed partners in the drug trade
but that Ganan wanted to start a new life.
Palit-ulo, thats what happened she alleged, noting that Del Mundo and his wife
have since left the barangay after the operation.