Press Release
July 27, 2016

Interview of Sen. Leila M. de Lima

Q: Ma'am, officially na-refer na po sa Committee niyo yung extrajudicial killings. Kamusta na po? Ano yung nakikita niyong date, preparations, who to invite?

De Lima: Okay, I can only give you broad strokes of the plan because of course, as you know, that resolution was referred to the Committee on Justice and Human Rights as lead agency or the lead committee, or primary committee; then secondary committee, yung Committee on Public Order and Drugs chaired by Sen. Ping.

So pag-uusapan namin ngayon kung magjo-joint hearing ba ang dalawang committee. Because under the rules, puwedeng mag joint hearing, puwedeng hindi, hiwalay. And then whether or not it's joined, or hiwalay, the rule is that mauuna muna, talagang magre-report sa body. The plenary would be the primary committee, although puwede ring mag-submit ng sariling report and recommendation yung second committee.

Pero siyempre, if it's a joint hearing, baka joint report or recommendations. Or even if it's also a joint hearing, there's also a possibility for a separate report and recommendations from the second committee. So yun muna pag-uusapan namin ni Sen. Ping, ano ang balak, magjo-joint ba o hindi.

Q: Pero anong preferred niyo po?

De Lima: I'm open to either joint or separate. Although, mas maganda kung joint para isahan lang.

Q: Ma'am, kailan po kayo mag-uusap ni Sen. Ping?

De Lima: Very soon, although not today, and possibly not tomorrow. The earliest would be Monday. But we can always coordinate even before Monday.

Q: Ma'am, may target date kayo kung kailan niyo gusto yung hearing?

De Lima: As far as I'm concerned, of course, subject to discussion also with the committee members of the Committee on Justice and Human Rights, ang target ko is second week or third week of August would be the start.

Q: Ma'am, si Sen. Ping may statements na siya na parang defending the PNP. Wala ba kayong reservations dahil medyo parang may konting differences kayo in opinion?

De Lima: Hindi naman siguro. Baka naman that was his initial stand. The fact na walang nag-object on the resolution when it was referred to the Justice and Human Rights Committee as lead, and Public Order and Illegal Drugs as secondary, wala namang nag-object na. So tuloy na yan. Tuloy na yan.

Q: Ma'am, bakit po naging option yung pag-hold ng separate? Meron bang hint or indication from the side, from the point of Sen. Lacson?

De Lima: None. What I stated earlier is what is contemplated on the rules, di ba. And that's the, I think, even in practice, based on experience, meron din minsan na mga nagse-separate hearings.

Q: But as far as you're concerned, you have no problems working with Lacson?

De Lima: No problem at all.

Q: Pero, ma'am, dun sa text niya this morning, sabi niya yun pa rin ang stand niya. Senate is not the proper venue to investigate specific cases of extrajudicial killings.

De Lima: Well, kasi broad naman ang ating thrust dito. Marami tayong gustong malaman. O yung direksyon ho ng inquiry, as far as I'm concerned as head of the committee--in broad strokes lang as I said because this is subject to further discussion--number one, gaano kalaki ang problema? Gaano kalala yung mga nakikita natin araw-araw sa telebisyon, sa balita, yung may mga namamatay in the course of the intensified drive against criminality, particularly, illegal drugs? So related to that, ano ang tamang numero ng mga namamatay? Kasi iba-iba naman ang mga figures.

And in relation to that, ang figures natin sa PNP Public Information Office, yung figure from the PNP Public Information Office from July 1 to 24, 293 ang killed. And then of course, there are media figures. From the PDI Kill List, June 30 to July 21, 364 killed. From the ABS-CBN compilation, figure, from May 10 to July 26, 603, and further classified into police operations, 392; unidentified, 162; salvage, 49. So iba-ibang figures.

CHR is also compiling its own cases, its own documented cases at may sarili ring figure or statistics ang CHR. I don't have it right now. So kailangang malaman natin the lay of the land, the universe. Ilan talaga ang namatay so far?

And then, ang balak ko po, we will be highlighting specific cases where we think the surrounding circumstances or the attendant circumstances doon sa killing, whether or not...especially during police operations, legitimate or otherwise, ay suspicious ang circumstances. There are signs of summary execution.

So my staff has already been doing that, preparing. In preparation for the hearing, we are going to identify and showcase, or highlight representative cases na sa tingin namin meron talagang mga indikasyon that something is wrong because signs of summary executions.

But let me clarify that I'm not saying right now na marami yung ganung kaso. So, kaya nga, isa yan sa thrust ng imbestigasyon na yan. Ilan ba? What are we looking at? What is the percentage yang mga killings na yan ang puwede nating maturing na suspicious or questionable dahil nga may signs of summary execution?

Q: Meron po kayong ipi-present, ma'am, na family members na nagrereklamo...?

De Lima: Alam niyo ayaw ko na munang magbigay ng mga ganyang detalye.

Q: Ma'am, si Sen. Trillanes sabi niya nung one day willing siya tumulong sa inyo para maging mas malawak daw yung imbestigasyon niyo. Nakipag-usap na ho siya sa inyo?

De Lima: Nagkakausap naman kami, but not the formal type of discussion, pag nagkikita rin kami sa Session Hall, and then whenever we have the chance na mag-usap. He's a member anyway of the Committee on Justice and Human Rights. And of course, he's very interested also to participate in the discussion.

And then going back to those cases na sinasabi ko, magha-highlight kami ng certain cases. I don't know yet how many cases ang puwede naming magiging representative cases. The factual details and circumstances of the case, siyempre, ipi-prisenta ho natin yan with the witnesses, family members.

Q: So, Ma'am, tuloy ho yung imbestigasyon with or without Sen. Lacson later on?

De Lima: Yes, tuloy po, insofar as my committee is concerned, Justice and Human Rights.

And merong isang thrust, anong mga mga ahensiya ng gobyerno ngayon na nag-iimbestiga, at yung tunay na nag-iimbestiga, seryoso ba ang mga imbestigasyon na yun? Ang alam ko yung CHR seryoso na ini-investigate. Meron pa ba na ibang mga ahensiya ng gobyerno na talagang tinitignan itong mga kaso na ito?

Q: Ma'am, sabi niyo nga preparations pa lang. Pero siyempre meron na kayong idea kung sino ang ipapatawag. Does that include...?

De Lima: Meron na kaming tentative list of invitees and resource speakers, but I'm afraid I cannot share that with you at this point.

Q: Pero, ma'am, kasama na si Gen. Bato?

De Lima: Hindi ko muna pupuwedeng masabi.

Q: Emergency powers. This early for transport crisis, meron na po ba kayong concerns about this emergency powers?

De Lima: Let me say at this point that I'm open to the grant of emergency powers by the President, subject to close scrutiny of the details of their proposal. You know, as the saying goes, 'the devil might be in the details'. But I'm willing to look into that, to scrutinize. And if I see that there's nothing objectionable constitutionally or legally, then I will be glad to support that.

Kailangan po yan. Kung yan ang talagang pinaka-remedyo sa lumalang traffic crisis sa Metro Manila, especially EDSA, then why not? But again, wala pa kasi akong nakikitang papel diyan, wala pa akong nakikitang mga detalye ng plano na yan. So I cannot yet commit with definitiveness.

Q: Wala kayong nakikita na possible abuses kung sakali?

De Lima: Kasi pag ganyan emergency powers, siyempre iba-ibang aspeto rin yan. But ang isa diyan, kaya humihingi ng emergency powers, it has to do with the procurement, di ba. Kasi siyempre may mga projects yan, mayroong mga kailangang bilhin, mayroong mga kailangang mga proyekto na dapat gawin para ma-address yung situation.

Now, for as long as they will not do away completely with the bidding process, I am willing to support. Kasi meron naman iba-iba pang mga paraan ng pag-procure. Huwag lang yung complete na wala talagang bidding. But how to come up with a process na less ang mga dadaanan kasi ang procurement process kasi natin ngayon it takes several months, di ba. Paano yan mapaikli? So yun ang dapat kasama diyan sa emergency powers.

And for as long as there are enough safeguards against corruption, yung mga magsasamantala na naman diyan ng mga proyekto, maganda ang plano. Pero baka may mga magsasamantala diyan, so the proper safeguards should be there. Then, I'm willing to support it.

Q: Hindi niyo pa nabasa yung proposal ni Sen. Franklin Drilon?

De Lima: Hindi pa. Although I've heard about that and in fact, told Sen. Frank that I'm willing to support that. But again, as I said, I should know the details first.

Q: Ma'am, sabi ni Sen. Dick Gordon na Internal Affairs muna ng PNP dapat mag-investigate.

De Lima: Kasama nga yan sa mga i-aano natin, yung Internal Affairs. Kasi kung interesado kayo sa what could be the possible pieces of legislation that may come out of it, because some are also saying na wala naman yan, hindi naman yan in aid of legislation, just to give you some idea.

Ano lang to, these are just my thoughts kasi alam niyo naman under the rules, yung mga inquiry, in aid of legislation. But it can be, the inquiry can be for the purpose of re-examining existing laws or for the purpose of crafting a new law, or for the purpose of discussing and coming up with the final version of a draft bill, di ba. So kahit nga wala pang bill, puwede basta the target is to come up with the needed legislation.

Offhand ang mga naiisip ko na puwedeng tignan--at tinitignan na nga namin ngayon yan--di ba there are anti-EJK bills already, anti-extrajudicial bills already. But you will note na yung mga dating pina-file would focus on the kind of killings that is prevalent before, especially during the GMA administration, the militant killings of activists, the killings of personalities affiliated with the militant or progressive organizations. That's the type of EJK we were looking at before.

Ngayon, itong nangyayari ngayon hindi na ganung klaseng EJK ang prevalent kundi itong summary killings of suspected criminals. So, how to modify the existing anti-EJK bills in such manner that there would also be provisions that would focus on these types of killings, the summary killings, vigilantism.

Another, how to strengthen CHR through its Charter. Matagal-tagal na yang CHR Charter na yan. Nandun pa ako sa CHR, sinalang na ho namin yan, hanggang ngayon, hindi pa rin pinapasa. So nire-review namin yung existing draft of the CHR Charter. And in fact, I asked the CHR to provide us with the latest version of the proposed CHR Charter para pag-isipan ho namin kung paano pa mapapalakas ang kapangyarihan ng CHR para ma-address itong mga kaso ng summary killings.

And then the strengthening of the Internal Affairs Unit of the PNP, and other mechanisms of the PNP. Kasi wala naman tayo masyadong naririnig about IAU, Internal Affairs Unit. Maybe, they are really doing their job. Pero gusto ho naming malaman kung sapat na yung mga kapangyarihan nila, sapat na yung mga mechanisms nila internally in addressing these matters. And of course, the possible institutionalization of the existing operational guidelines and rules of engagement of the PNP pag merong mga operations.

Ilan-ilan lamang po yan sa mga naiisip ko na mga legislative measures. Para lang mapawi yung mga naiisip ng iba na hindi daw po ito in aid of legislation. Maling-mali po ang kaisipan na yan. Maraming salamat po.

Q: Ma'am, of course, you're expecting the full cooperation po of government agencies?

De Lima: Oh yes, yes. Kasama sila sa mga ipapatawag as resource speakers or persons in the course of the hearings. So it's a total package. Thank you.

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