Some lawmakers expressed outrage after it was revealed that many police stations continue to withhold records on extrajudicial killings (EJK) from the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), citing Executive Order (EO) No. 2 on freedom of information.
During a budget hearing at the House of Representatives, CHR Chairperson Richard Palpal-latoc told legislators that the agency had issued both show cause orders and subpoenas to compel the Philippine National Police (PNP) to turn over documents. However, “the majority are still not complying with the subpoena,” he said, as reported by ABS-CBN News.
Palpal-latoc explained that police stations are invoking EO No. 2—signed under former President Rodrigo Duterte—as a legal defense. The order allows certain exemptions, including classifying police investigations as confidential.
Akbayan party-list Rep. Chel Diokno slammed the refusal, calling it “totally unacceptable,” and recommended filing contempt charges against non-complying officers. “This is a very, very important issue when we talk about accountability of public officials,” Diokno stressed.
ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio also pointed out that the freedom of information order was intended for ordinary citizens’ access to records, not for constitutional bodies like the CHR. He reminded the agency of its crucial role in investigating killings tied to the Duterte administration’s drug war, saying it cannot afford to take a passive stance.
Palpal-latoc assured legislators that the CHR’s probe would push through and would not stop with the International Criminal Court proceedings. He added that the commission’s task force is targeting to complete its review of the first 400 cases by November, out of a total of around 4,000 under investigation.
