THERE was no order from President Rodrigo Duterte to withhold from the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) information on the recent attacks against rights defenders and activists, Malacañang and the Philippine National Police (PNP) said in separate statements on Saturday. Bernard Banac, “categorically denies that President Rodrigo Duterte issued any order prohibiting the release of information or data with regard to an ongoing investigation” into the killing of 89 activists and rights defenders by the CHR. In the investigation on crime incidents, Banac said, the PNP follows what is provided by the Rules on Evidence and the Data Privacy Law. Such rules and law mandate the protection of identities while the investigation is pending, Banac said. The police should not disclose any and all details once the case is filed with the prosecutor, Banac said.

Source: Manila Times August 22, 2020 16:07 UTC