No proof found on state-sponsored killings in Senate probe -- Gordon
Published Jun 29, 2018 03:52 pm
By Mario Casayuran
Sen. Richard J. Gordon said Friday his Senate committee hearings have not found proof that there is a state-sponsored policy to commit killings to eradicate illegal drugs in the country.
Senator Richard Gordon ( Jansen Romero / File | Manila Bulletin)
‘’The Senate, although not a court of law, bases its findings on evidence painstakingly gathered during hearings. The findings cannot be based on mere hearsay, much less on testimonies from witnesses who are not credible and are inconsistent in what they say,” he said.
Gordon has assured that the recommendations arising from the Senate investigations on various issues were based on pieces of evidence that the committees painstakingly gathered during the investigations.
International organizations or bodies such as European Union and the United Nations, and anti-Duterte groups or persons led by detained Sen. Leila de Lima have slammed the Duterte administration for having a hand in the killing of about 20,000 persons in its campaign against the multibillion-peso illegal drug trade.
De Lima had termed these killings as ‘’extrajudicial killings (EJKs).
Opposition Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV had criticized Gordon for his alleged ‘’one-man show’ ’in conducting his committee public hearings.
Gordon is the chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee and Senate justice and human rights committee.
He said charges have been filed against various officials found, during the said investigations, to have committed offenses.
He also stressed that the investigations also generated proposed new legislations and amendments to existing laws.
“When I took over the investigation on the spate of killings, we focused on the solutions that would address these killings, which have remained unresolved through the years. We recognized that there is an urgent need to undertake reforms in law enforcement and strengthen the criminal justice system to fortify the rule of law,’’ he said.
‘’Thus, I filed the following measures all meant to address the killings and stop impunity: Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act of 2016 (Senate Bill or SB-1128); Police Court Act of 2017 (SB-1274); Strengthening the Internal Affairs Service of the Philippine National Police Act of 2016 (SB-1275); Strengthening the People’s Law Enforcement Board Act of 2017 (SB-1374); and later, the Body Camera and Dashboard Camera for Law Enforcement Officers Act of 2017 (SB-1563),” he said.
On the investigation on the smuggling of P6.4 billion worth of ‘’shabu’’ (crystal meth), Gordon pointed out that there was no sufficient evidence to link Paolo Duterte, son of President Duterte, to the illegal smuggling of drugs, aside from bare allegations.
Even the Office of the Ombudsman cleared young Duterte and his brother-in-law, Mans Carpio, in the smuggling try.
‘’Moreover, even with a paucity of evidence, the committee even recommended that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) conduct a lifestyle check on Duterte and Carpio,’’ Gordon said.
“Several persons involved in the smuggling of drugs are now detained and undergoing trial as a result of the issue being brought into the fore by the Senate Blue Ribbon committee,’’ he added.
Gordon emphasized that the Blue Ribbon committee had no investigative capacity by itself to locate Tita Nani, ‘’but it did direct the NBI and the Bureau of Customs to look for ‘’Tita Nani.’’
‘’ Unfortunately, even they could not find the identity of, or locate, ’Tita Nani.’ Several persons alleged to be Tita Nani were called to testify in the Senate, but none of those summoned was Tita Nani according to Mark Taguba,” he added.
As further confirmation that there was no whitewash, Gordon pointed out that former Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon was even detained for half a year in the Senate security office and in the Pasay City Jail after he was cited for contempt for refusing to answer questions directed at him.
Faeldon was also found to have committed gross negligence in failing to prevent the entry of the ‘’shabu’’ shipment from China.
Gordon said criminal charges for violations of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act and the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act were recommended slapped against Faeldon.
“Unfortunately, the Senate has no control on the DOJ’s (Department of Justice) dismissal of the charges against him, nor over his reappointment to another position in government. We left no stones unturned and conducted fair investigations, made findings on where evidence was presented,” he pointed out,
Gordon also noted that the committee reprimanded former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre for being less than prudent in meeting with Wenceslao Sombero and Jack Lam, a gambling casino operator, and for lacking sufficient foresight not to deal privately with people who have pending cases with the DOJ.
‘’The committee also found that Aguirre and the DOJ were remiss in their legal mandate in that they failed to monitor the influx of illegal aliens into the country,’’ he said.
Senator Richard Gordon ( Jansen Romero / File | Manila Bulletin)
‘’The Senate, although not a court of law, bases its findings on evidence painstakingly gathered during hearings. The findings cannot be based on mere hearsay, much less on testimonies from witnesses who are not credible and are inconsistent in what they say,” he said.
Gordon has assured that the recommendations arising from the Senate investigations on various issues were based on pieces of evidence that the committees painstakingly gathered during the investigations.
International organizations or bodies such as European Union and the United Nations, and anti-Duterte groups or persons led by detained Sen. Leila de Lima have slammed the Duterte administration for having a hand in the killing of about 20,000 persons in its campaign against the multibillion-peso illegal drug trade.
De Lima had termed these killings as ‘’extrajudicial killings (EJKs).
Opposition Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV had criticized Gordon for his alleged ‘’one-man show’ ’in conducting his committee public hearings.
Gordon is the chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee and Senate justice and human rights committee.
He said charges have been filed against various officials found, during the said investigations, to have committed offenses.
He also stressed that the investigations also generated proposed new legislations and amendments to existing laws.
“When I took over the investigation on the spate of killings, we focused on the solutions that would address these killings, which have remained unresolved through the years. We recognized that there is an urgent need to undertake reforms in law enforcement and strengthen the criminal justice system to fortify the rule of law,’’ he said.
‘’Thus, I filed the following measures all meant to address the killings and stop impunity: Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act of 2016 (Senate Bill or SB-1128); Police Court Act of 2017 (SB-1274); Strengthening the Internal Affairs Service of the Philippine National Police Act of 2016 (SB-1275); Strengthening the People’s Law Enforcement Board Act of 2017 (SB-1374); and later, the Body Camera and Dashboard Camera for Law Enforcement Officers Act of 2017 (SB-1563),” he said.
On the investigation on the smuggling of P6.4 billion worth of ‘’shabu’’ (crystal meth), Gordon pointed out that there was no sufficient evidence to link Paolo Duterte, son of President Duterte, to the illegal smuggling of drugs, aside from bare allegations.
Even the Office of the Ombudsman cleared young Duterte and his brother-in-law, Mans Carpio, in the smuggling try.
‘’Moreover, even with a paucity of evidence, the committee even recommended that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) conduct a lifestyle check on Duterte and Carpio,’’ Gordon said.
“Several persons involved in the smuggling of drugs are now detained and undergoing trial as a result of the issue being brought into the fore by the Senate Blue Ribbon committee,’’ he added.
Gordon emphasized that the Blue Ribbon committee had no investigative capacity by itself to locate Tita Nani, ‘’but it did direct the NBI and the Bureau of Customs to look for ‘’Tita Nani.’’
‘’ Unfortunately, even they could not find the identity of, or locate, ’Tita Nani.’ Several persons alleged to be Tita Nani were called to testify in the Senate, but none of those summoned was Tita Nani according to Mark Taguba,” he added.
As further confirmation that there was no whitewash, Gordon pointed out that former Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon was even detained for half a year in the Senate security office and in the Pasay City Jail after he was cited for contempt for refusing to answer questions directed at him.
Faeldon was also found to have committed gross negligence in failing to prevent the entry of the ‘’shabu’’ shipment from China.
Gordon said criminal charges for violations of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act and the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act were recommended slapped against Faeldon.
“Unfortunately, the Senate has no control on the DOJ’s (Department of Justice) dismissal of the charges against him, nor over his reappointment to another position in government. We left no stones unturned and conducted fair investigations, made findings on where evidence was presented,” he pointed out,
Gordon also noted that the committee reprimanded former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre for being less than prudent in meeting with Wenceslao Sombero and Jack Lam, a gambling casino operator, and for lacking sufficient foresight not to deal privately with people who have pending cases with the DOJ.
‘’The committee also found that Aguirre and the DOJ were remiss in their legal mandate in that they failed to monitor the influx of illegal aliens into the country,’’ he said.