(Eagle News)—-Opposition senators have filed a resolution calling for an investigation into what they said was the recent spate of killings in Cebu under the “one-time, big-time” (OTBT) drug operations of the Philippine National Police.
“The allegation that police officers themselves are behind some of the killings is highly disturbing,” the group composed of Senators Kiko Pangilinan, Risa Hontiveros, Bam Aquino, Antonio Trillanes IV, Franklin Drilon said in filing Senate Resolution No. 915.
According to the group, in the three phases of the OTBT operations initiated by PRO-7, 19 suspected drug personalities have already died.
They said that in the third phase of operations, at least 10 suspected drug offenders died and 76 were arrested.
“The recurring narrative of ‘nanlaban’ – or suspects having resisted arrest – has been serving as a wrongful justification for fatalities during the conduct of police operations to curtail proliferation of illegal drugs,” they said.
On July 18, the members of the Senate minority bloc issued a joint statement expressing alarm over what they said was the brazenness of killings in the country, “especially in Metro Cebu where scores of suspected drug offenders were arrested and killed without due process.”