Former President Rodrigo Duterte  on November 13, 2024 during the Quad-Comm hearing on the extrajudicial killings, addressing alleged human rights violations from his administration’s war on drugs. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

MANILA — The task force created to investigate alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during the Duterte administration's war on drugs has 60 days to determine if cases will be filed over the controversial anti-narcotics program, Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez said Thursday.
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“Ang task force na iyan ay binigyan ng 60 days para magbigay ng update, para malaman natin kung ano man ang pwedeng sundan or anuman ang pwedeng isampa, or ripe na ba iyan at pwede nang isampa sa preliminary investigation before the prosecution service ng Department of Justice,” Vasquez said.

(The task force has 60 days to provide an update and to find out what cases will be filed or what steps to take next, and if there are any cases ripe for a preliminary investigation)

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A preliminary investigation is a process where prosecutors determine whether to file a case in court.

“Makikipag-coordinate din sila sa Quad Comm ng Kongreso, ang Senate investigation, Commission on Human Rights, Philippine National Police at iba pang law enforcement agency para lahat ng impormasyon o detalye... ay malaman din nila para masundan at mapatingnan kung iyan ba ay may ebidensya," he said.

(They will also coordinate with the House quad comm, Senate, Commission on Human Rights, Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies to get all information and details and to determine if there is evidence to support these)

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He said that if the task force finds sufficient evidence, they will file formal complaints at the DOJ.

EJK TASK FORCE

The creation of the task force was announced early this month.

According to Department Order No. 778, the task force will be under the Office of the Secretary and will be chaired by a senior assistant state prosecutor and co-chaired by a regional prosecutor. It will also have nine members from the National Prosecution Service.

The task force is mandated to probe, conduct case build-up and file necessary charges, if warranted against the perpetrators as well as those involved in the EJKs during the previous administration’s anti-illegal drug campaign, the DOJ said in a statement.

When he assumed the presidency in 2016, Duterte in public speeches repeatedly gave police officers "shoot to kill" orders for drug personalities who resisted arrest.

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Critics even viewed his policy as giving law enforcement free reign to kill, an allegation that the Palace said at the time was not part of the anti-drug policy.

Duterte has repeatedly said that he believes he did not break any laws when he made those statements.

When President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was elected in 2022, he sought to veer away from Duterte's deadly drug war strategy and promised to make it "bloodless." 

Despite that, the Dahas project, which maintains a database of drug-related killings has tallied 841 killings during the Marcos Jr. administration.

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