Villarino: CHR-7 team in Negros Oriental to probe killings

Leo Villarino | CDN file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines —A team of Commission of Human Rights in Central Visayas (CHR-7) investigators are already in Negros Oriental to investigate the killings there.

Leo R. Villarino, CHR-7 chief investigator, said this in an interview on August 2, amid the calls of militant groups of the CHR-7 to condemn the killings in Negros Oriental.

A call which the CHR-7 had already done as they condemned the killings not only in Negros Oriental but in Central Visayas as a whole.

Read more: CHR-7 condemns spate of killings in Central Visayas

Villarino said that they would get the side of the military and police as well as the side of the victims.

He also earlier opposed putting Negros Oriental under martial law to address the killings there.

He said that all that would be needed would be the intensive operations of the police since not all the killings were done by armed groups.

Read more: CHR 7: Martial law won’t solve killings in Negros Oriental

Earlier in the day, militant groups held a Black Friday protest in front of the CHR office where they challenged the CHR-7 to condemn the killings not only in Negros Oriental but also in Cebu as well.

An action that the CHR-7 had already done.

During the militant’s protest, they said that they would be willing to coordinate with the CHR-7 in their investigation.

According to John Ruiz, Bayan Muna Regional coordinator, they are challenging the CHR on the actions they could provide to the recent brutal killings that has happened in Negros and Cebu as well wherein, people’s group will be willing to coordinate with.

“Tanaw namo ang Commission on Human Rights dapat kaduyog sa katawhan gud isip ilang mandato sa atong batakang balaud,” said Ruiz.

(We think that the Commission on Human Rights should be in one with the people as the order from the law.)

Read more: Three armed men enter Mandaue billiard hall, frisk ‘players,’ order them to strip

Aside from that, the militant groups also filed a complaint at the CHR-7 against the police with regards to the three armed men claiming to be “police officers in civilian clothes,” who entered a billiard hall in Sitio Aroma in Barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue City on July 27,  and frisked the 11 men at the billiard hall and then ordered them to strip down to their underwear.

Villarino said that they would investigate the case and also get the side of the police with regard to the militants’ complaint./dbs