Palace assure US of action on extra-legal killings

Malacañang on Saturday reassured the United States the Aquino administration is acting to solve extra-legal killings, especially of journalists. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda stressed this after US Ambassador to Manila Harry Thomas Jr. said the US will still withhold a part of assistance to the military over the matter. “Unexplained killings, we refer to the extra-legal killings; as far as we know we have been addressing the killings in this country especially with regard to reporters," Lacierda said on government-run dzRB radio. He said President Benigno Aquino III himself would call the attention of Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima when he hears of an extra-legal killing. Lacierda said he will take up the matter further with de Lima. Earlier, Thomas said the US Congress continues to withhold a part of US assistance to the Armed Forces of the Philippines until the government meets conditions on solving and prosecuting cases of unexplained killings. News reports said Thomas informed human rights advocates in the country about the withholding of such US aid to the Philippines during a roundtable discussion at the US Embassy last Oct. 21. Thomas said the US embassy was encouraged by the pledge made by Aquino in his 2010 State of the Nation Address to curb unexplained killings in the country. But he expressed concern regarding the slow pace of investigations and prosecutions of past cases. Thomas said that from 2007 to 2010, the US government extended $3.5 million in grants to the Philippine government and non-government organizations to strengthen their capacity to address human rights violations. “The US government will continue to press for progress on addressing past cases and the ongoing problem of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines," he said. — ELR, GMA News