The Philippine National Police (PNP) said that the figures presented by the of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) on the casualties in the drive against illegal drugs was “bloated” and does not paint the campaign’s correct picture.
“As we have explained, the varying numbers reported to UNHCHR by the special rapporteurs and its other sources were not consistent with truth,” said PNP Spokesman Col. Bernard Banac on Tuesday.
“Their bloated figures don’t add up and cannot support any further need of the UN body to see the true and accurate picture of the Philippines’s lonely crusade against the global problem of illegal drugs,” he added.
The UNHCHR claimed in a report that there had been about 27,000 Filipinos killed as of May this year in the antidrugs campaign that is being waged by the PNP.
The number had been cited by the US-based Human Rights Watch, also in its report.
But Banac said there were only about 5,375 who died in the operations from July 2016 up to May 2019 based on their official data, although the unofficial number was put at 6,600. These deaths also arose from encounters between drug suspects and policemen.
The PNP spokesman maintained that the operations against illegal drugs were legally carried out and were based on lawful orders, and “judiciously conducted within the ambit of regular police procedures.”
“[Respect for] human rights is perfectly in place, exercised and protected in the Philippines in accordance with the constitution. Respect for human rights is deeply embedded in all police systems and procedures as a matter of organizational policy,” he added.
“If at all any irregularity had been found, these were immediately investigated and corrected with punitive action against the errant police personnel,” Banac said.
In fact, he stressed that at least 322 policemen have also been dismissed from the service for using illegal drugs and another 119 have also been axed for coddling and protecting drugs suspects.
Banac also said that 49 policemen have been killed while on anti-illegal drugs operations and 144 others were wounded in the line of duty.
“So we do not say that just because there were casualties that we will not investigate them anymore. All of the incidents where there are casualties, deaths on both sides are being investigated and we are only asking for a little time in order to render justice to all the victims,” Banac said.