The Philippine National Police (PNP) has expressed its support for the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) newly formed task force aimed at investigating the deaths of drug suspects under President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla announced the creation of the task force on Wednesday, focusing on allegations of extrajudicial killings during the previous administration’s drug crackdown. PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo, speaking at Camp Crame, emphasized the police force’s willingness to collaborate, noting that the PNP is also pursuing its own investigations.
Fajardo highlighted the PNP’s ongoing cooperation with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on cases such as the unresolved killing of Wesley Barayuga, a Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office official, who was shot by an unidentified motorcycle assailant in 2020. The investigation was reopened after PNP Drug Enforcement Group’s Lt. Col. Santi Mendoza presented evidence last September during a congressional hearing on the Duterte administration’s drug operations.
The PNP reinitiated its investigation on September 29, followed by the NBI on October 3, and soon after, the agencies committed to a collaborative effort on October 17. Fajardo reiterated, “This is an indication that the PNP will support and closely coordinate with the NBI and DOJ in their efforts to come up with a credible investigation with respect to the sensational cases mentioned during congressional hearings.”
Reflecting on unresolved cases, Fajardo confirmed that the PNP would review all open investigations, stressing that Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla has previously assured that there would be “no sacred cows” in pursuing justice against police officers involved in drug war killings.
