There has been only one case of extrajudicial killing (EJK) under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippine National Police (PNP) declared on Friday.

In a statement, PNP spokesperson Chief Superintendent Dionardo Carlos maintained that the institution protects the right to life of every individual, and that people becoming a victim of EJK is “very remote.”

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“To allay (or) remove their fear of becoming victims of EJK, let it be known that under the present administration, there is only one case of EJK for the period of July 1, 2016 to Sept. 30, 2017,” Carlos claimed.

“The possibility of them becoming a victim of EJK is very remote, if we based it on facts and not on impression or perception,” he added.

Carlos was referring to the case of Larry Que, a publisher and journalist of the Catanduanes News Now newspaper. He was gunned down in Virac last December 20, 2016.

Carlos said their definition of “extrajudicial killing” is based on Administrative Order No. 35, which was signed by then Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Leila de Lima.

AO 35 described EJK victims as members or advocates of political, environmental, agrarian, labor, or similar causes; media practitioners and persons mistaken to be so.

Common criminals such as drug addicts, drug lords, and drug pushers were not mentioned as among EJK victims under the DOJ order.

The PNP statement came after the release of the latest survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS), showing that seven in 10 Filipinos fear they could become victims of EJK.

The survey was conducted among 1,200 respondents last June 23 to 26. /kga

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