CEBU CITY- Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma has described as "ill-advised and half-baked" President Rodrigo Duterte's decision to publicly release the names of over 150 local officials as part of his war on illegal drugs. The 66-year-old prelate said that while he supported the President's campaign, the fundamental requirements of due process and rule of law must be observed at all times. "There are people who welcome the President's move to name names, but there are also those who are anxious of what he did," Palma told reporters after he ordained 12 new priests at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral in downtown Cebu City on Tuesday. [continues 259 words]
Ill-advised and half-baked. This was how Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma described the decision of President Rodrigo Duterte to publicly identify the local officials allegedly involved in the illegal drugs trade. While he supports the President's campaign to curb illegal drugs, the 66year-old prelate said the fundamental requirements of due process and the rule of law have not been observed when he announced the names of so-called "narcopoliticians," judges and policemen involved in the illicit trade. He likewise called the drug list "not realistic," while at the same time expressing doubt over the inclusion of former Cebu City mayor Michael Rama in the list. [continues 842 words]
CEBU CITY-The highest-ranking police official in Central Visayas revealed an offer made by what he said is a vigilante group to help the police bring down drug suspects as part of the Duterte administration's war on drugs. Chief Supt. Noli Talino, Central Visayas police director, said he received a text message from an anonymous group offering to help police kill suspected pushers and others involved in drug trafficking. "They want to take the law into their own hands because they could no longer stand the presence of people who continue to peddle or use illegal drugs," Talino said. [continues 341 words]
At least eight cases that bore the marks of extrajudicial killings of drug suspects are now being investigated by the Commission on Human Rights in Central Visayas (CHR-7). The probe came barely 24 hours after President Rodrigo Duterte's tirade against human rights advocates questioning his tough anti-crime policies, particularly on the slaying of suspected drug peddlers. Leo Villarino, CHR-7 chief investigator, said they received a directive from lawyer Diana De Leon of CHR's Human Rights Protection Office in Manila last July 15, mandating the regional office to conduct an investigation on what could be cases of summary executions. [continues 1087 words]
A Cebu City judge said he had nothing against random drug testing ordered by the national government for high school students. "I support this random drug testing because this is for the good of the students to make our schools drug-free," said Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Meinrado Paredes of Branch 13. His court is specially designated to handle illegal drug cases. Paredes said random testing is valid under the Constitution; compulsory drug testing is prohibited. But organizers should make sure students understand that the process is truly random and does not target suspected drug users, he said. [continues 303 words]
