The Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights has finally concluded there is no state-sanctioned extra judicial killings (EJK).
In its 120-page committee report, the Senate committee also said there was no evidence to prove the existence of the so-called Davao death squad.
Sen. Richard Gordon, committee chairman, Senators Panfilo Lacson, Gregorio Honasan, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Nancy Binay, Manny Pacquiao and Vicente Sotto III have all signed the report. Senators Francis Pangilinan, Alan Peter Cayetano and Franklin Drilon signed with reservations.
Senators Leila de Lima, Antonio Trillanes IV, Grace Poe and Ralph Recto did not sign the report.
De Lima earlier said she was not allowed to read and sign the Senate report.
The report indicated the killings reported under the Duterte administration is not too far off from the number of deaths recorded during the administrations of former presidents Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Benigno Aquino III.
The Senate report noted 4,248 were killed from July to early October this year. At an average of 47 dead per day, the country would have 8,496 deaths by year-end.
Under the Arroyo administration, an average of 10,196 killings were recorded every year while under the Aquino administration, an average of 14,313 deaths were recorded each year.
The number of killings under the Duterte administration would be a slight departure compared with the number of deaths in the two previous administrations.
“Many killings with impunity through the years up to the present have not been resolved by the police, leaving our people feeling unprotected, insecure, fearful and cynical about the ability of the police to protect and serve them,” the report said.
“Coupled with the helpless indifference of the people, the only thing that remains constant is that the police and the criminal justice system have failed us. All these have led to many killings with impunity and some people, including some police officers, probably think they can get away with murder.”
The Senate report, however, urged the admonition of some police officers for violating the constitutional rights of a number of suspected drug personalities.