A group of lawmakers from the House of Representatives has filed a measure seeking to declare extrajudicial killings (EJKs) as a heinous crime, in a bid to strengthen accountability and justice mechanisms in the country.
House Bill No. 1629, introduced by members of the Quad-Comm—the same group that spearheaded investigations into POGOs and EJKs under former President Rodrigo Duterte—aims to impose the harshest penalties on public officials, state agents, and any government personnel found guilty of involvement in EJKs.
The bill is co-authored by Representatives David “Jay-jay” Suarez (Quezon, 2nd District), Bienvenido Abante Jr. (Manila, 6th District), Romeo Acop (Antipolo, 2nd District), Zia Alonto Adiong (Lanao del Sur, 1st District), Paolo Ortega V (La Union, 1st District), Ernesto Dionisio Jr. (Manila, 1st District), Rodge Gutierrez (1-RIDER party-list), Lordan Suan (Cagayan de Oro City, 1st District), Jay Khonghun (Zambales, 1st District), Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro (Batangas, 2nd District), and Jonathan Keith Flores (Bukidnon, 2nd District).
Under the proposed bill, individuals proven guilty of committing EJKs may face life imprisonment without parole.
The proposal stems from the bloody war on drugs initiated during the Duterte administration, where at least 846 individuals were reported to have died under suspicious or undocumented circumstances.
Lawmakers behind the bill emphasized the need to prevent future abuses and ensure that no state agent is above the law.