Citing “calculated moves” by alleged saboteurs, Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre claimed on Friday that some policemen are “in cahoots” with some members of the Catholic Church and human rights groups to destabilize the Duterte administration.

In a press conference, Aguirre said: “I believe that that’s what the President said that when his war on drugs has been sabotaged by some people. This could be the police behind or in cahoots with the destabilizers or some people in the religious and the human rights groups.”

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Aguirre said he had met with Philippine National Police National Capital Region Director Oscar Albayalde, who believed that the three slain teenagers—Kian delos Santos, Carl Arnaiz, and Reynaldo “Kulot” de Guzman—were “purposely killed” and their killers’ moves were intended to “’drive outrage from the Filipino people” and blame the policemen.

“When the police are blamed, it will reflect on the President, katulad nung aking (similar with my) opinion that there’s some sort of destabilization in connection with the killing of the three teenagers,” he noted.

Aguirre mentioned the Catholic Church’s taking custody of witnesses to alleged extrajudicial killings, and not allowing them to be interviewed by the police and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

He said that members of the Catholic Church “wanted to revive the, itong namamatay na International Criminal Court. Iyon pala darating si Callamard at dun nila gustong ipresenta itong mga teenage witnesses na ito.”

(The Church wanted to revive the dying International Criminal Court. And Callamard, apparently, would arrive, and they want to present to her these teenage witnesses.)

The secretary was referring to the United Nations (UN) special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions Agnes Callamard. The envoy has rejected the Duterte administration’s invitation to investigate the killings because of the preconditions set by the government, including a public debate with President Rodrigo Duterte, as it could compromise her independence, which would be contradictory to UN protocols.

Member-states of the UN Human Rights Council, however, have urged the Philippine government to allow Callamard to probe the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs.

Aguirre also chided the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) for urging people who might be involved in alleged summary executions to surface and seek sanctuary in the Catholic Church.

“Actually the Church even encouraged the populace, including the policemen, (to) surrender to them and they’re going to take care of them. Di maganda e. Parang lumalabas na propaganda lamang yang announcement na yan (It’s not good. It appears that the announcement is just propaganda). I don’t know for whom,” he added. /kga

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