DEFENSE Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on
Friday said the defense and the military establishment would not
allow foreign groups to dictate the pace of reform initiatives
in addressing extra-judicial killings in the country.
He stressed that while there may be some
soldiers involved in the killings, such extra-legal acts are not
sanctioned by the military leadership.
Teodoro made the statement after the US State
Department expressed concerns about extra-judicial killings of
leftist militants and journalists in the Philippines and the
impunity of the killers.
"We are dealing with the issue of
extra-judicial killings structurally in the department. It will
be at our pace, on our terms, in our own programs," said Teodoro.
He said the seminar last Wednesday on the
writ of habeas data in Camp Aguinaldo was held to "let the
senior commanders factor into their operational planning, their
SOPs (standard operating procedures), the observance of new
dictates and new rules of law, and the awareness of the public
as to the effect of these laws and regulations on military
operations.
"It is indeed a public issue and we welcome
that and we accept it as a reality, and we will comply with all
those laws and rules and regulations, but we cannot allow the
agenda, the policy, and the pace of the reforms with respect to
extra-judicial killings and all other forms of lawlessness to be
dictated by outside events or outside pressures," he said,
adverting to international human groups which continue to
criticize the Philippines for the extra-judicial killings
allegedly perpetrated by the military.
Teodoro said the military has been conducting a review of its
procedures to see if human rights standards are "adequately
observed" during operations. "They are coming out with (results)
soon," he said. - Victor Reyes
