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TF211 EXTENDS FULL LEGAL ASSISTANCE TO CUESTA FAMILY
JUSTICE Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor today assured
the family of radio commentator Dennis Cuesta that the
Arroyo administration is extending full legal assistance
that would bring the perpetrators of the dastardly act
behind the bar of justice.
Blancaflor, concurrent chairman of Task Force 211 in
charge of coordinating and mobilizing concerned
government law enforcement agencies in investigating and
prosecuting extrajudicial killings which also involve
Filipino journalists.
“The Arroyo administration will exhaust all efforts in
running after the perpetrators of this dastardly act
against Cuesta. We are mobilizing a pool of government
lawyers in closely coordinating with law enforcement
agencies in investigating the circumstances of the
incident, identifying and arresting the assailants and
filing appropriate charges against them,” he said.
He also added that the Task Force 211, also known as
Task Force Against Political Violence, is likewise
closely collaborating with National Press Club (NPC)
President Benny Antiporda and the NPC Press Freedom
Committee chaired by Joel SyEgco in monitoring the
progress of government investigation.
“We assure the Cuesta family that the government is
doing its best to put to a halt the spate of
extrajudicial killings, especially against media
practitioners,” he added.
“It is lamentable that some people do not seem to
understand that these political killings affect the
entire nation and not just a particular group of people.
Instead of conveniently blaming the government, let us
try to work together to stop these killings of political
activists and media practitioners,” he said.
“The government needs all help and support from the
media, civil society, sectoral organizations, political
groups, and religious sector in expeditiously resolving
political and media killings, such as that of De Cuesta,”
he added.
In less than a year since its inception, the Task Force
211 has been instrumental in the successful arrests and
prosecutions of suspected perpetrators of extrajudicial
killings even as it continually monitors more than 200
other extra-legal killing cases, 36 of which involve
media personalities.
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