MANILA, Philippines – Metro Manila’s police chief denied on Tuesday that authorities had hired fishermen to dump bodies of drug suspects in Manila Bay.
National Capital Region Police Director Oscar Albayalde said no remains had been recovered from the natural harbor and his office also did not receive any report or complaint about the disposal of bodies.
Last July 28, the Qatar government-owned news network Al Jazeera reported that according to fishermen, they had been throwing bodies of drug suspects in the bay over the past year as part of the Duterte administration’s anti-narcotics campaign.
The report quoted the fishermen as saying that the police had recruited them to do the job of dumping bodies, which authorities allegedly called “trash,” on the sides of highways and into the bay, putting weights on the remains to make sure that these won’t float up.
According to a fisherman only identified in the report as “Manuel,” policemen were the ones who were coming to his house ordering him to take out the “trash.” Manuel said he had disposed of 20 bodies.
On Monday, during a Palace briefing, Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra dismissed Al Jazeera‘s report as “mere allegations.”
“If there are no evidence to back that up, then that remains as hearsay,” Guevarra said.
President Rodrigo Duterte twice threatened drug suspects publicly with death and dumping in Manila Bay.
Duterte: ‘Tataba ‘yong isda’
In May 2015, during Duterte’s weekly local TV program, Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa (From the Masses, For The Masses), the then Davao City mayor said that if God wills that he become the president, he would have 100,000 drug suspects killed and thrown into the Manila Bay.
“’Pag by chance that God will place me there, magbantay kayo, kay ang 1,000 na ito maging 100,000. D’yan mo makita tataba ‘yong isda d’yan sa Manila Bay, d’yan ko kayo itapon.”
[If by chance that God will place me there, watch out because the 1,000 (people executed) would become 100,000. You will see the fish in Manila Bay getting fat. That is where I would dump you.]
The President reiterated the threat in April 2017, warning identified drug users to stay in their houses and avoid being seen on the streets or they would have them dumped in Manila Bay and become fertilizer for fish.
“Let me just issue another warning to kayong mga drug addict, tutal na-identify na rin kayo, avoid the streets, magkulong kayo sa bahay ninyo kasi ‘pag nadampot ko kayo, ipatapon ko kaya diyan sa Manila Bay. Gawain ko kayong fertilizer sa isda,” said Duterte.
Lascañas, Matobato: Bodies dumped at sea
Last February, retired police officer Arturo Lascañas testified at the Senate that he and his group, who were members of the vigilante group Davao Death Squad (DDS), were given cash rewards by Duterte whenever the former mayor allegedly ordered them to eliminate his critics or drug suspects and bury their bodies or dump them at sea.
In September 2016, self-confessed DDS member and hitman Edgar Matobato told a Senate hearing that when Duterte was still mayor, he had allegedly ordered him and his group to kill about 1,000 people and that some of the remains were dumped at sea to be eaten by fish and one was fed alive to a crocodile.
Matobato claimed that the DDS had a boat docked at Times Beach in Ecoland Drive, Davao City that was allegedly used to dump bodies in the deep waters of Samal and Lanao.
He likewise claimed that he had used a launching dock for dumping bodies at the beach resort of Samal Mayor Roger Antalan where he used to work. Matabato said he had dumped around 300 bodies through the said route.
De Lima to call for probe of ‘bangkay sa bangka’
Last July 29, Sen. Leila de Lima said she would file a Senate resolution “calling for an investigation on this deplorable practice, and put an end to these brazen acts of killings and desecrating bodies.”
“This is clearly part of President Duterte’s promise that he will kill drug pushers and do-nothings, dump them in Manila Bay and fatten all the fish there,” the detained lawmaker said.
De Lima said she had also recently received a report that hospitals were being used to hide the remains of drug suspects. “Kailan lang, mayroon ding naiulat na ginagamit ang mga ospital para itago ang mga pagpatay.”
“Ngayon naman, ang isa pang modus: Bangkay sa Bangka [Now, there’s another modus: Dead Bodies on Boats],” she said.
“No wonder the number of deaths in the War on Drugs has not been updated or altogether been kept from the public. Extrajudicial killings are still happening in the streets, but this time, mass murder by rogue police officers and hired assailants is done through another strategy to hide the real magnitude of EJKs,” said De Lima.
“This also signals a new policy of the police: getting rid of bodies to get away with murder,” she added.
