Lawmakers push for reinvestigation of over 7,000 drug war deaths

Lawmakers are calling for a reinvestigation into more than 7,000 cases of killings during the Duterte administration's war on drugs.

During Tuesday's House Quad Committee hearing, co-chairperson Dan Fernandez emphasized the need to reopen these cases to provide justice for victims' families and noted the difficulty in letting down those affected by the drug war.

Bienvenido Abante echoed this sentiment and questioned the effectiveness of previous investigations, noting that only a few successful prosecutions have occurred.

PNP Director for Operations Nicolas Salvador confirmed that reinvestigation is possible but stressed the importance of inventorying cases in coordination with the PNP Internal Affairs Service.

National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) officials reported challenges in investigating these cases due to lack of cooperation from victim relatives and forensic evidence, leading to difficulties in reconstructing crime scenes.

Lawmakers propose creating a special body or commission dedicated to reviewing and reinvestigating drug war death cases to ensure thorough investigations and address the trust deficit among victims' families.

The House of Representatives quad committee also highlighted that only eight cops have been jailed for drug war killings, with limited convictions due to challenges in building cases and lack of access to evidence.