of the Philippines the criminal justice system is - Article 2

his two sergeants and a corporal involved in the killing of nine
peasants in Palo, Leyte on 21 November 2005. The Commission
endorsed its findings for your review in February but your office
has yet to act on it. Charges cannot be filed in court as a result.
2. You also failed to act on the recommendations made by the
Office of the Provincial Prosecutor to file murder and attempted
murder charges against two military lieutenants and their men
involved in the killing of three persons and wounding of three
others in Kiblawan, Davao del Sur on 8 February 2005. The
prosecutor already endorsed the findings to you on July 2005,
yet you have failed to resolve the case. The military men involved
have not been formally charged in court.
3. We are not aware of any response from your office to the
directives of a Regional Trial Court judge on 17 May 2006 to
amend the charge of murder to homicide against a military
sergeant and his 31 men involved in the killings of Bacar Japalali
and his wife Carmen in Tagum City during September 2004.
You are aware that the case cannot proceed in court unless your
office responds to the judge’s directives to determine the nature
of the charges against the military.
4. We are not aware of any result of your investigation into
the alleged torture of Haron Abubakar Buisan, who was arrested
due to mistaken identity by policemen in General Santos City
on 12 December 2005. In a letter dated 10 January 2006 you
assured us that there would be “an appropriate fact finding
investigation” conducted by your office. But to our knowledge
there has been no action against the accused police.
5. You made similar assurances concerning the case of slain
activists Jose Manegdeg III of San Esteban, Ilocos Sur; Albert
Terredano of Bangued, Abra; and Cathy Alcantara of Abucay,
Bataan. You have been repeatedly requested to intervene into
these cases, but again we are unaware of any conclusive
investigation by your office. The perpetrators of these killings--
alleged to have been state personnel or persons linked to them-
-have not even been identified, let alone arrested and charged.
We believe that you will agree with us that any claims of
efficiency and high standards of performance by any government
office, in particular yours, must be reflected of how this
performance contributes to upholding the public interest. Where
your office is concerned, there is a special obligation to meet the
interests of the victims and family members who are seeking
redress for the wrongful acts of military and law-enforcement
officers.
When victims are denied speedy disposition of their cases due
to inaction and unnecessary delays, while in the meantime they
are forced to endure constant threats and insecurity, any public
office responsible for this situation is not worthy of citation as
“high performing”. Only when the needs and interests of these
persons and the public are fully met can such praise be given.
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article 2 • February 2007 Vol. 6, No. 1