Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has expressed alarm over the recent rise of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) in Quezon City slums which shows how the death squads are taking advantage of the current COVID-19 pandemic in their murderous campaign.
De Lima, the staunchest critic of the administration’s war on drugs, made the statement after Father Robert Reyes recently revealed that the killings in Barangay Pinyahan in Quezon City continue to persist amid the global health crisis.
“Not even a global pandemic can stop this climate of murderous impunity that has gripped us since 2016. And it has become an even deadlier virus, taking away lives, gangland-style while people grapple with ways to survive this health and economic crisis,” she said.
“Fr. Robert Reyes has been lighting candles at the San Isidro Labrador Parish since July for those killed by motorcycle-riding tandems in the slums of Brgy. Pinyahan. Sunod-sunod ang patayan. As if the deaths from this pandemic are not enough,” she added.
According to Reyes, 10 summary executions were recorded in Barangay Pinyahan, which is located near the headquarters of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), since January 2020. He said half of the unlawful deaths took place during a 4-week stretch.
In just a span of two weeks in July, Reyes said he presided over funeral Masses for three people, namely Jeselyn Ordono, Gilbert Paala, and Jonathan Burce.
“As I write this dispatch, I received reports from my staff of two more killings in Brgy. Pinyahan, one in V. Luna, and the other, along NIA Road,” De Lima noted.
De Lima, a former justice secretary, lamented how Filipinos repeatedly witnessed these unjust killings since Duterte openly endorsed shoot-to-kills and DIY arrests on perceived violators of his “peace and order” campaigns.
“What is more alarming now are the muted cries for justice, as orphaned loved ones mourn in dreadful silence rather than suffer the same fate. They’re too scared to complain. Sabi nga ni Fr. Robert, mas kinakatakutan na ngayon ng mga residente ang mga nakamotorsiklo kaysa ang pandemya. We cannot blame them,” she said.
“Justice under this regime isn’t exactly for the oppressed and marginalized. But we should never allow those muted cries to turn into indifference. Hindi dapat tayo masanay kahit kailan sa dilim at lagim sa ating bayan,” she added.
As such, De Lima urged Filipinos to continue demanding for justice and accountability for all the victims of the senseless killings in the country.
“We should regain our voices and refuse to be silenced. Resist! We must never stop sounding the alarm bells, sa mga simpleng kuwentuhan man yan, sa mga usapan sa social media, sa kalsada, hanggang sa plenaryo ng Kongreso at Senado. Kailangan managot ang may sala!” said she.
This 18th Congress, De Lima has reintroduced a measure, Senate Bill (SB) No. 371, seeking to define acts that constitute extrajudicial killings and ensure accountability over the suspicious deaths recorded under the Duterte administration. (30)