CHR chairman says criminals are entitled to due process

September 30, 2017

Commission on Human Rights Chairman Chito Gascon said Friday even criminals are entitled to due process following an SWS survey that majority of the Filipinos agreed that suspects killed in police operations did not fight back.

“Just because someone is a user or a trafficker or a pusher does not exempt them from the application of the probation of our constitution”, Gascon said during the Human Rights in the Philippines: Prospects and challenges forum in Ateneo De Manila.

“No one shall be deprived the life without due process. Meaning to say even if you were a criminal that doesn’t mean you are now deprived  of the right to die arbitrarily. You are still entitled to due process”, he added.

The SWS survey that was conducted on June 23 to June 26, 2017 said said 54 percent of the Filipinos agreed in the statement that “Many of those killed by the police in the campaign against illegal drugs did not really fight back to the police”.

“There it proved that we need to see the root cause of those who fight back cases. We said file a case. At least what we are asking are all the case folders of all the police so we can open it but there is still no clearance from the president (Rodrigo Duterte)”, Gascon said after the human rights forum.

In another SWS survey that was conducted on June 23 to June 26, 2017, it said “63 percent of the Filipinos believe there are drug suspects who already surrendered but were killed”.

“That’s right. There are a lot cases that those who surrendered after a few weeks were included in those who were killed. So it needs to investigate all of that fully that’s why we need cooperation of the government”, Gascon said. Alanna Ambi/DMS