Amnesty International report unfair, says Tumulak

A Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency agent views the body of drug suspect Domingo Caballes, alias JR, who was killed after he reportedly fought back during a drug operation in Sitio Camansi, Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City, on Aug. 2, 2017.
CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)

Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak considered as “unfair” a report of Amnesty International about the what seemed to be a human rights crisis in Cebu and other parts of the country.

“The police are doing their investigations (on the spate of killings) and there have been no evidence yet to prove that these murders are sanctioned by the state,” he said in an interview on Saturday.

Tumulak, the city’s deputy mayor on police matters, assured any entities that human rights are respected in Cebu City regardless of status, age, or disposition in life.

“We, in the local government, are careful to safeguard the rights of every human being, whether he or she is an accused or a victim,” he said.

Tumulak nonetheless reminded law enforcers to observe the rules and to not trample on the rights and dignity of people.

“I ask them to uphold the law and to avoid human rights abuses,” he said.

“Let the police and our justice system do the work,” he added.

In its annual report, the Amnesty International, a London-based non-governmental organization focused on human rights, said the state of human rights in Cebu and other parts of the country has been alarming since President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office in July 2016.

In Cebu and other parts of Central Visayas, policemen were listed by Amnesty International as the top violators of human rights.

The same report noted the wave of unlawful killings across the country, and how the administration goes after human rights advocates critical of the government’s war against illegal drugs.

CHR agreed

Director Arvin Odron of the Commission on Human Rights in Central Visayas (CHR-7) agreed with the report of Amnesty International.

“The spate of killings and the rising incidents of criminalities in the country, including in Cebu, had already reached the level that is very alarming,” he said in a text message to Cebu Daily News.

Odron reiterated his appeal to authorities to stop human rights abuses and to defend the dignity of every human being.

“Law enforcers must intensify their efforts to curb these criminalities. But let us not leave the task alone to them,” he said.

“The community and all sectors should think of what they can offer and help the government address this recurring issue,” he added.

Amnesty International’s “State of the World’s Human Rights” covers 159 countries and delivers a comprehensive analysis of the state of human rights in the world today.

Its report about the state of human rights in the Philippines will be sent to the Office of the President, hoping that the President and other officials will respond to it.