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By Sam Mediavilla, Reporter
Malacañang will release the Melo
Commission report today, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said on
Wednesday, acknowledging a clamor for disclosure.
A few hours after UN special
rapporteur on extrajudicial killings, Philip Alston, urged the
government to release the Melo report, Malacañang caved in to
“the strong call” from various sectors, including the Catholic
Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
At the same time, Ermita
expressed dismay over the findings of Alston, who said the military
“is in a state of almost total denial” on some 800 murders of
militants since 2001.
“No right thinking government
or leader will tolerate such thing; that’s why we’re looking
into it,” Ermita said.
President Arroyo, he added, has
authorized the release of P25 million so the Commission on Human
Rights (CHR) could investigate the killings.
Preliminary
Ermita said the Melo report would
be released through the office of Malacañang spokesman, Secretary
Ignacio Bunye. Earlier, Malacañang authorized National Security
Adviser Norberto Gonzales to release the report to European Union
representatives and to Alston.
Ermita said the report would
include the reactions of the military chief, Gen. Hermogenes Esperon
Jr. and retired general Jovito Palparan, whose name has been linked
to many of the killings.
He said Bunye recommended that
members of the special body, led by retired Supreme Court Justice
Jose Melo, be available for questions.
The Melo report submitted to the
President last month identified Palparan and other officials of the
Armed Forces as answerable for the deaths of militants, although it
was not clear just how they are liable.
Ermita clarified that the
government does not deny there are killings going on.
But the Melo body, he pointed
out, could not “comprehensively” give its conclusion,
evaluation, assessment and recommendations because relatives and
families of slain victims refused to cooperate.
Ermita said President Arroyo was
concerned enough to call on Task Force Usig and remind officials
that six soldiers have been linked to killings.
But he said the investigation
would depend on witnesses and evidence.
“We will never tolerate
extrajudicial killings whether it’s against militant groups,
against media or anybody for that matter. It is the policy of the
state to look into it and put a stop to it,” Ermita stressed.
Genuine concern
President Arroyo met Alston
Tuesday night in Malacañang and vowed to focus government resources
on the investigation and prosecution of the killers.
Ermita said the P25 million would
be used by the CHR to investigate cases and hold trainings for
uniformed personnel.
“This is the only thing we can
do to help the CHR in its work. We cannot tell them what to do since
they are constitutionally independent,” Ermita stressed said.
Ermita, however, was dismayed
that Alson gave more weight to statements by militants than to the
government’s reports.
He also reacted to Alston’s
remarks about “virtual impunity” and the AFP’s “state of
denial.”
“The fact alone that the
President had created, or caused the creation of Task Force Usig and
later, of the Melo Commission, are proof that the national
leadership is serious about putting a stop into this extrajudicial
killings or this unexplained killings,” Ermita said.
“There is no reason to ever
doubt the sincerity of the national leadership on stopping these
unexplained killings. It is not a national policy to tolerate such
extrajudicial killings.”
“You’ll be hearing this often
enough from [Defense] Secretary [Hermogenes] Ebdane, that extreme
measures will be undertaken by the leadership of the defense and
Armed Forces to look into this extrajudicial killings,” he added.
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