Senior Supt. Eric Noble, Cebu provincial police chief, talks with regional chief investigator Leo Villarino of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) during a break at the Provincial Peace and Order Council meeting. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
The regional Commission on Human Rights (CHR-7) asked the police yesterday to submit the results of their investigations into the deaths of drug suspects during police operations in Cebu province.
During yesterday’s Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) meeting, CHR chief investigator Leo Villarino asked the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) to furnish a copy of reports on over 100 deaths of suspects in police operations in Cebu.
Villarino said their Manila office is conducting an inventory of all the suspected extrajudicial killings (EJK) that occurred from December last year to May this year.
The CPPO said there were 103 suspects who died in 1,669 police operations in Cebu province from July last year to May this year.
“We need to find out if those deaths during police operations were investigated by the police since it is part of their mandate. They have been given instructions that they also need to conduct internal investigations,” Villarino said.
When the police fail to conduct investigation on these deaths, Villarino said they will be considered EJKs. Noble said they will coordinate with CHR on their request.
“We already talked. We have reports on those deaths. We have folders where we consolidate all of our reports. It is ready,” Noble said.