Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla’s claim in Geneva that there is no culture of impunity in the country was debunked by Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel in view of the many unsolved crimes, particularly murders.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel virtually called Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla a liar when the latter claimed that there is no culture of impunity in the country , with Pimentel noting that the number of murders and other crimes have remained unsolved.
“There is a culture of impunity prevailing in (the Philippines) given the many unsolved crimes, especially murders,” Pimentel said on Wednesday.
Remulla made the claim before the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) last Nov. 14, while representing the Philippines for the body’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
Such claim contrasts with what is really enveloping the Philippines, Pimentel said.
“There is a culture of impunity prevailing in our culture given the many unsolved crimes especially murders. Those unsolved violent crimes mostly involve the poor and the voiceless. Even non-political nature violent crimes, if left unsolved, contribute to this culture of impunity,” Pimentel, in a text statement, said.
“This is dangerous because the deterrent effect of our criminal laws and the entire justice system will lose its strength in our society and we don't want to degenerate into a chaotic and practically lawless society,” he added.
“We don’t want to degenerate into a chaotic and practically lawless society,” he added.
Pimentel said that the filing of cases in connection with the assassination of hard-hitting broadcaster and vlogger Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa was not enough to prove that the government has ended the culture of impunity.
Speaking before the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday, Remulla said: “We will dispel the mistaken notion that there is a ‘culture of impunity’ in our country. We will not tolerate the denial of justice nor any violation of human rights.”
But Pimentel reminded Remulla that a ‘culture is made up of thousands, if not millions, of practices.”
“One successful solution to a violent crime does not change immediately the culture of impunity to a culture of accountability. But it may be the first step because as the saying goes: the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step,” he said.
Remulla should not also use the government’s ongoing investigation of the Percy Lapid case, which is just one of the many killings in the country, Pimentel said.
Sen. Sonny Angara, for his part, recognized Remulla’s efforts in bringing reforms to the country despite a “highly imperfect justice system.”
“I believe we have a working albeit highly imperfect justice system. We support Secretary Remulla in his attempts to institute reforms in the country’s justice system. The system could move faster and (could) be more inclusive and fair,” Angara said.
Tags: #DoJ, #SenatorPimentel, #cultureofimpunity, #justicesystem