Vinluan on UNHRC probe: Cops will only draw guns to protect themselves

Police Colonel Gemma Vinluan, Cebu City Police Office chief.

CEBU CITY, Philippines — “Walang pulis na gustong pumatay!” (No police officer would want to kill!)

Police Colonel Gemma Vinluan, Cebu City Police Office director, said this amid the issue of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to investigate the Philippines for crimes allegedly committed during its war against illegal drugs, which included alleged extrajudicial killings.

Vinluan said that the police were following the rule of law in these operations and would only draw their guns when there would be a threat to their lives.

She said the police had to defend themselves in these situations especially since the only thing they would carry with them when performing their duties would be a handcuff and a gun.

She assured that the rights of both the victims and suspects had always been respected by the police, but when their own lives would be put in danger, then they would have no choice but to execute appropriate measures to handle the situation.

Vinluan also admitted that she was no expert to talk about allegations of extrajudicial killings, but she assured that, under her leadership as CCPO chief, rights of the suspects in every police operation would be respected.

Vinluan shared her views on the UNHRC investigation during her press briefing at the CCPO headquarters in Camp Sotero Cabahug on July 16, where she laid down plans for the CCPO under her leadership.

Read more: CCPO chief’s goal: Confiscate half a billion worth of shabu in six months

These included her target in war against illegal drugs, setting up help desks in or near schools as a deterrent against online sexual exploitation of children, and her plan to go after human traffickers.

Read more: CCPO to set up help desks near schools to address OSEC crimes

Read more: CCPO chief to also go after human traffickers

Aside from that, she also wanted the Department of Health to help them on giving psychosocial intervention to police officers exposed to violence.

Read more: CCPO chief to DOH-7: Psychosocial intervention for cops exposed to violence

Meanwhile, Police Lieutenant General Archie Francisco Gamboa, Philippine National Police deputy chief for operations, said that they would be holding the records needed by the UNHRC’s investigation until President Rodrigo Duterte would say otherwise.

He said that the police were under the executive branch of the government and that they could not do anything without orders from the President.

Gamboa also criticized the UNHRC for conducting the investigation because they would only have jurisdiction over the Philippines when the local government would no longer be functioning.

He said that their investigation would be in contrast to this because “every instrument of government, even the Constitution, had been working in the Philippines.

Gamboa also questioned the motive of the investigation, saying it was a political move./dbs