CBC radio host chides PH Cabinet secretary over extrajudicial killings
CBC radio host chides PH Cabinet secretary over extrajudicial killings
Deputy Secretary Peter Laviña
PHOTO: LQueaño
By Lui Queaño
CBC radio host Anna Maria Tremonti pressed Philippine Deputy Cabinet Secretary Peter Laviña over extrajudicial killings in the Philippines during her interview with the former on The Current aired on CBC Wednesday, Nov. 2.
Laviña was in Canada at the invitation of the Pinoy in Canada Patriotic Movement (PiCPM). He and another invited Cabinet official, Philippine Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol, were guest speakers in a town hall meeting last Oct. 29 at the Canada Christian College. PiCPM press releases said the town hall meeting was called in the hope of clarifying the Duterte government’s stained international image, including issues over its bloody anti-drug campaign.
In a nine-minute interview with Tremonti, Secretary Laviña defended President Duterte versus the Human Rights Watch, saying that “Filipinos are in full support of the Philippine President”. He said there are groups who are anti-Duterte in the media belonging to the opposition, seeking to destabilize the Duterte government.
“It is truly unfortunate that the picture of the Human Rights Watch is not entirely correct. True, the Philippine President now Rodrigo Duterte was elected by only 38% by plurality but the latest polling of his base of support has now reached 91%. There are only 3% of Filipinos who do not agree with the policies that he has been doing in the country,” Laviña said.
CBC Radio host Anna Maria Tremonti
Latest feed from the Philippine Star reports that billionaire business tycoon George Soros and businesswoman Fil-Am Loida Nicolas-Lewis are allegedly financing a plot to oust President Duterte. Soros funds Human Rights Watch , the source of a lot of anti-Duterte media allegedly to the tune of $100M. Just recently, Soros was in American news for donating millions to unseat Arkansas sheriff Joe Arpaio. Nicolas-Lewis was a big supporter of the Roxas-Robredo tandem in the last Philippine elections.
Tremonti raised concerns about human rights abuses as a result of the bloody drug war that took the lives of 4,000 people. Laviña said the killings were the result of the war perpetrated by the vigilante groups as well as the war between drug syndicates operating in the Philippines.
“There are legitimate police operations where these criminals are being killed. There are also other armed state groups. You have to understand the context of the Philippines, there are many vigilante groups. These are not sanctioned by the government and the President has already clarified this is not our policy,” Laviña said.
Billionaire business tycoon George Soros
Tremonti further asked Laviña why the Duterte government justifies the killings of 4,000 people. The huge number includes that of Danica Mae Garcia, whose aunt Jelly Ace Velasquez, was interviewed by Tremonti in an earlier show. Danica Garcia is a 5-year old girl who was killed in a crossfire when two masked men opened fire outside her family house in Dagupan City looking for her grandfather who was suspected to be involved in illegal drugs.
“No. No. we are not justifying. These are the real facts that are happening in the country. We understand any war that is going on we will have casualties. There will be people as you mentioned being caught in the crossfire and Ms. Velasquez has already illustrated that 5-year old child was accidentally hit in the crossfire. It was not meant to be that way,” Laviña said.
Laviña had been on the road since the town hall meeting, entertaining media interviews from local and international media. In an ambush interview at the town hall meeting by local media, Laviña addressed the issue of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines.
Fil-Am businesswoman Loida Nicolas-Lewis with President Barack Obama
“Killings will continue anywhere in the world. Pero yung extra judicial killings, ang definition doon, victims are politicians, clergy, businessmen. The things that are happening in the Philippines ngayon. There are gang wars among drug lords. There are policemen killing their own assets. And there are legitimate police operations and we cannot deny that. But yung sabi nilang extrajudicial killings by itself pulitika kasi iyon. It’s not in the criminal, the ones we are undertaking right now,” Laviña said.
Earlier in the town hall meeting, Bern Jagunos, global council and committee member of International Coalition Human Rights in the Philippines-Canada (ICHRP) asked Piñol on the extrajudicial killings in the Phillippines but Piñol replied only by saying “I’m sorry Ma’m but I am just a farmer.” Piñol remained mum on the issue and said he could only address the issues related to agriculture. He however promised to bring up the issue with the proper department and cabinet secretary concerned.
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