SENATE minority leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. yesterday demanded that government make public the Melo Commission report.

"The efforts of Malacañang to wrap it around a veil of secrecy can by no means be justified. This will only bolster the allegation that this administration is only trying to cover up the wave of political killings and to protect the perpetrators," Pimentel said.

He said keeping the report secret "smacks of the administration’s insensitivity to public sentiments and lack of transparency."

Pimentel said the Melo report was another "Mayuga report" in the making.

He was referring to the findings of the fact-finding body headed by Vice Adm. Mateo Mayuga on the so-called "Hello, Garci" generals and other military personnel who were said to have helped rig the 2004 presidential polls for President Arroyo. One of those mentioned in the allegations was former PNP chief and Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane who assumed office as defense secretary the other day.

The Melo Commission submitted its report to Arroyo Tuesday. It said soldiers have murdered hundreds of Left-wing activists since 2001 and their commanding officers should be held responsible.

But Malacañang said it would not at the moment make public the report as it was only the "first report" and it may overshadow subsequent ones.

Pimentel expressed disgust over the President’s attempt to persuade relatives of victims of extra-judicial killings and witnesses to testify after they had boycotted its hearings because of their distrust for the fact-finding body.

He said the President and her advisers are themselves to blame or the refusal of relatives of the victims and witnesses to appear before the commission.

"When the Melo Commission was being organized last year, the militant Leftist and human rights groups submitted their recommendations to strengthen the commission and enhance its credibility. They presented the names of some nominees to the commission. They also sought full government protection for witnesses, but all these suggestions fell on deaf ears," Pimentel said.

Pimentel said the government will find itself embarrassed when the report is presented to foreign observers, particularly those from the European Commission which is monitoring extra-judicial killings.

Pimentel said the inability of the fact-finding commission, chaired by retired Supreme Court Justice Jose Melo, to release the report to the public without Malacañang’s permission further confirms the body’s lack of independence. – Dennis Gadil