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UN exec hits AFP, urges release of Melo report


The United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings on Wednesday criticized the Armed Forces for being in "a state of almost total denial" that its members may have been involved in the murder of activists and journalists in the country. Professor Philip Alston, UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary, or Special Executions, also urged the Arroyo administration to acknowledge the problem and promptly issue a statement condeming the slays. "The AFP remains in a state of almost total denial (as its official response to the Melo Report amply demonstrates) of its need to respond effectively and authentically to the significant number of killings which have been convincingly attributed to them," Alston said in a statement released during a press briefing in Makati City. He chided AFP chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr for allegedly taking the word of retired Army Major Gen. Jovito Palparan – nicknamed "The Butcher" by left-leaning groups – at face value. "When the Chief of the AFP contents himself with telephoning Major Gen. Palparan three times in order to satisfy himself that the persistent and extensive allegations against the General were entirely unfounded, rather than launching a thorough internal investigation, it is clear that there is still a very long way to go," Alston said. The entire report on Alston's 10-day probe will be finished in three months before submission to the UN Human Rights Council. Alston also urged Malacañang to release the report of the Melo Commission, which President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo created in response to the political murders. "The report was never intended to be preliminary or interim. The need to get 'leftists' to testify is no reason to withhold a report which in some ways at least vindicates their claims," he said. Although the Melo Commission already submitted its report to Malacañang earlier this month, Palace officials ordered the panel members to extend its investigation because they have yet to get the side of activists. For his part, however, Alston said that, "Extending a Commission whose composition has never succeeded in winning full coooperation seems unlikely to cure the problems still perceived by those groups. Immediate relase of the report is an essential first step." Bloody scorecard Human rights group Karapatan have listed about 834 extrajudicial killings since President Arroyo took over the government in 2001. The police's Task Force Usig lists only 116 such cases, 49 of which have been deemed "solved" as these were already pending before the courts. Regarding what he called the "numbers game," Alston said this was an "unproductive" pursuit but noted that he was "certain that the number is high enough to be distressing." Alston noted that through the course of his investigation, he noted that there was an "element" of "propaganda" when he spoke with some local nongovernment organizations. Although the "propaganda" may have been meant to "win public sympathy and to discredit other actors," Alston said that this "does not, in itself, destroy the credibility fo the information and allegations." Magnifying glass Alston also found "especially unconvincing" the military's theory that the killings should be blamed mostly on an alleged communist purge. "While such cases have certainly occurred, even those most concerned about them, such as members of Akbayan, have suggested that they could not amount to even 10 percent of the total killings," Alston said in a four-page statement. He also expressed dissatisfaction with the manner by which the Philippine National Police has been investigating the killings. He bemoaned that the police fail to extensively use "forensic investigation" and instead have been overly reliant on witnesses' testimonies. When the witnesses refuse to cooperate, Alston said, the police probe also comes to an end. Palace decrees Also, Alston said presidential decrees on the conduct of congressional inquiries have hampered and "systematically drained" the accountability mechanisms in the Constitution. "Executive Order (EO) 464, and its replacement, Memorandum Circular (MC) 108, undermine significantly the capacity of Congress to hold the executive to account in any meaningful way," he said. EO 464 requires senior officials of the national government, the police and military to seek the President's approval to appear before any congressional inquiry. MC 108, meanwhile, requires invited officials to "promptly request from Congress information, if it is not so provided in the information, regarding the possible needed statute which prompted the need for inquiry." - GMANews.TV
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