Families of EJK victims hoping to get justice from ICC; difficult to file cases here – Colmenares

Families of thousands of victims of extrajudicial killings during the Duterte administration are hoping to get justice for their dead loved ones from the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has been investigating EJKs.

That’s according to former Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares, who made the statement during Friday night’s 8th hearing of the House of Representatives four committee-panel known as Quad Comm that is looking into EJKs, illegal drugs, POGOs, and human rights violations.

Colmenares, who represented the National Union of People’s Lawyers that is cooperating with the ICC probe, said EJK perpetrators made sure that they left no evidence of their crimes.

“Mahirap magsampa ng mga kaso dito sa atin kasi mahirap kumuha ng ebidensiya. Walang CCTV, walang police report, walang pulis na nag-imbestiga. Pati prosecutor, ayaw mag-file ng kaso,” he told the joint panel.

He said the death certificates showed the victims “died of broncho-pneumonia.”

He said EJK perpetrators, mostly policemen, claimed self-defense in killing the victims.

He added that the ICC has been looking into EJKs “since 2017-2018.”

For her part, Garbriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene Brosas urged the Marcos administration to cooperate with the ICC in its EJK investigation.

Officials have said the government would not cooperate but that it would not impede the ICC probe.

The ICC is investigating former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and several of his officials, including former Philippine National Police chief and now Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, for alleged crimes against humanity committed in the course of their bloody war on drugs.

Duterte had withdrawn the Philippines’ ICC membership when the international court opened its inquiry.

During its marathon hearing on Friday, the Quad Comm heard testimonies from some EJK family members whose relatives were killed in Davao City and Cebu City, where former Col. Royina Garma once headed the local police force.

Garma is one of several senior police officers close to former President Duterte, who appointed her as general manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) after her early retirement from the police.

Brosas said among EJK victims in Davao City and Cebu City were children and innocent people.

She said the killing of one victim “was a case of mistaken identity.”

“Then Col. Garma as chief of police considered them as collateral damage that could not be avoided,” she said.

She added that one “collateral damage” in Cebu City “was a four-year-old child shot in the chest.”

She claimed Garma waged an “intense war on drugs” as Davao City and Cebu City police chief.