Sen. Benigno ‘Noynoy’ S. Aquino III, in his privilege speech at the Senate today, expressed his commitment to resolve the recent spate of extrajudicial killings in the country.
The son of national hero Ninoy Aquino, whose 24th death anniversary was commemorated by the entire nation today, cited comparisons between the unexplained salvaged cases during the Marcos dictatorship and the rise in extrajudicial killings during the present administration. He highlighted the fact that his father, a known Marcos oppositionist who was assassinated on August 21, 1983 upon his return from exile, was likewise a victim of an unresolved extrajudicial killing.
He criticized the Arroyo government for its weak response to the problem, despite reports from both local and international concerned groups calling for an end to the killings.
He also expressed his concern on the mysterious disappearance of Jonas Burgos, a farmer activist who was abducted on April 28, and whose mother Edita continues to be deprived of the right to information about his missing son.
The Senator, on the other hand, commended the Supreme Court for initiating the landmark National Consultative Summit on Extrajudicial Killings. He urged his colleagues in the Senate to support the High Court’s recommendations arising from the Summit, to wit: to define “extrajudicial killing” through legislation, to propose a law allowing search for missing persons in military camps and to have separate rules for writ of habeas corpus for cases of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.
He also said that the Senate should “demand the restoration of the effectiveness of constitutionally mandated accountability arrangements, specifically the power of Congressional oversight on the execution of laws by the executive.” As the vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, the Senator will pursue investigations into the possible involvement of government instruments in extrajudicial killings.
“My father died to bring democracy to life in our country. It was the highest possible price anyone could have paid. It is now up to us to make the institutions of democracy work for our citizens, so that never again should any person’s life be sacrificed in the name of his beliefs.” The Senator also called on his colleagues in the Senate for support by saying “the ball is now in our hands,” echoing the words of Ninoy Aquino in a personal letter written for his son.
August 21, 2007
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