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THE EJK TRUTH COMMISSION HELD ITS FIRST PUBLIC SESSION
The civilian-led EJK Truth Commission held its first public truth-telling session on August 14 at the Pope Pius XII Catholic Center in Manila.
Luzviminda Siapo, the mother of Raymart Siapo, testified during the session. Raymart was killed in 2017 after being accused of involvement in illegal drugs. His family has maintained that the accusation was false.
A Senate resolution filed in 2017 described allegations that masked men took Raymart, forced him to run despite a disability affecting his feet, and shot him. The resolution called attention to possible errors in drug watch lists and the consequences of acting on unverified information.
The commission was formed to receive, examine and preserve accounts connected to alleged extrajudicial killings during the drug war. It is led by former International Criminal Court judge Raul Pangalangan, with Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David among its convenors.
The commission is not a court. It cannot convict anyone or impose criminal penalties. Its work can help preserve testimony, compare accounts with available records, identify recurring patterns and recommend further investigation.
For victims’ families, the hearings provide a public venue that many did not have when the killings occurred. For the rest of the country, the sessions may help answer how people were placed on drug lists, what verification was performed and whether authorities investigated deaths involving their own personnel.
WHAT TO WATCH
The value of the commission will depend on whether testimony can be checked against police reports, death certificates, autopsy findings, barangay records and witness accounts. Also watch whether police officers, local officials and other people with direct knowledge participate. Testimony can establish a public record, but accountability will still require action from institutions with investigative and prosecutorial authority.
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