Loren: UN indictment of AFP on killings 'troubling'

Senator Loren Legarda said yesterday that the Philippines cannot just brush aside the indictment made by a United Nations (UN) special rapporteur that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) was allegedly behind extra-judicial killings in the country.

Loren said that the report of UN Human Rights Council investigator Philip Alston was "troubling" in that it practically claimed the killings to be state-sanctioned.

"The claim that there is a systematic execution of activists, trade unionists, land reform advocates and other similarly oriented individuals calls for a full-blown investigation by the Senate," said Loren.

Loren said the Senate would like to look at the evidence used by Alston to come up with his conclusion.

"The government cannot just sweep Alston's findings under the rug not only because it carried the weight of the UN body," said Loren.

"More importantly, we must look into these so we can put a stop to the extra-judicial killings and to be able to give justice to the victims," she stressed.

Alston dismissed the contention of the AFP that the killings were a result of "internal purges" in the communist ranks.

Loren said that no government can adopt a policy of extra-judicial killings to survive, thus the administration must resolve to bring to the bar of justice those who may have been identified as being behind the killings.

"The killers and masterminds must be identified and made to pay for their crimes. This is the only way to prove that the killings are not being condoned," said Loren.

A reservist colonel of the Philippine Air Force, Loren said the majority of the men and women in uniform in the armed forces are God-fearing, patriotic and fulfill their call of duty professionally.

"To just brush aside Alston's claim would do injustice to our soldiers who have nothing to do with any unlawful killings," she said.

As senator, Loren had served as mediator and negotiator in freeing captives, including soldiers and policemen, in conflict areas.