Lagman: Aquino admin cannot be held solely responsible for activist killings

An opposition lawmaker on Tuesday said the Aquino administration cannot be held solely responsible for the killing of activists within two weeks upon assuming office. “You cannot pinpoint responsibility solely to the current administration because political killings and other human rights violations do not choose the regime," Rep. Edcel Lagman told reporters, adding, “no administration is sacrosanct to criminals." International and local human rights and activist groups have called on President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III to end the killings, referring to the slay of three activists and a journalist since June 30. [See: Rights group calls on Aquino to end killings. Also, militant party-list representatives on Monday urged Aquino to abandon Oplan Bantay Laya — the previous administration’s counter-insurgency plan — after three activists were killed recently. [See: Partylist reps ask Aquino to abandon Arroyo's counter-insurgency plan] The problem is every new administration inherits the military and very few people in the organization are removed by the new president, “so the history of abuses continue," he said. “I am not saying that we are going to free the administration of all responsibility but we cannot pinpoint responsibility solely to the current administration," he reiterated. The Albay representative said the existing military-police establishment has developed a culture of violence and impunity in perpetrating human rights violations and other abuses. “It should be recalled that the martial law military bureaucracy survived the People Power revolution," he said in a separate press statement. He noted the almost equal record of the administration of Noynoy's mother Cory Aquino and the Marcos dictatorial regime in the number of involuntary disappearances. According to Lagman, on a time frame basis, the Cory administration had relatively more cases because she served for six years while Marcos ruled for 21 years. Lagman said what we must do is to be bold enough to immediately create an environment of security to protect possible victims and develop a defensive strategy to discourage and expose would be perpetrators. The lawmaker’s brother, Filemon ‘Popoy’ Lagman, founder of Partido ng Manggagawang Pilipino, was the first activist killed during the term of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. In February 2001, the late Lagman was killed in Bahay ng Alumni inside the University of the Philippines compound in Diliman, Quezon City. — LBG, RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV