The Arroyo administration released to the public today the initial report of the Independent Commission to Address Media and Activist Killings, chaired by Justice Jose Melo.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said that even though this is just a preliminary report that needs to be supplemented by additional reports by the Melo Commission based on further inquiry, the government decided to release the report in answer to persistent public clamor.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo extended the commission’s mandate on Jan. 30, requesting it to look into the latest killings as well as to look further into some of the initial cases. It has been noted that the preliminary report does not include testimony from victims and their families, testimony that the Commission has called "indispensable." The Commission itself said in its report that further investigation is necessary to prosecute the killers.

Ermita pointed out that the initial report focuses primarily on the executions of leftist activists.

"The fact that none of the victims and families of the killed media men have been interviewed underlines the work that is still left to be done by the Melo Commission. We are confident that supplemental reports will shed even more light on this important issue. We also hope that more witnesses will come forward and help achieve justice for those attacked," he said.

Commission Chairman Melo noted, however, that while none of the left-leaning groups have participated in the investigation, some other civil society groups have. Two are agrarian activist groups: Task Force Mapalad (TFM) in Negros Occidental, and Pambansang Ugnayang mga Nagsasariling Organisasyon sa Kanayunan (UNORKA-National). Two church groups made presentations to President Arroyo and Chairman Melo, the United Church of Christ of the Philippines (UCCP) and the National Council of Churches of the Philippines (NCCP). The Commission also met officers of the National Press Club which named suspects in four incidents of attack on media persons.

Stressing that the government was not in denial over the spate of unexplained killings in the country, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo vowed today these cases would be resolved and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) would continue to protect the people.

"The government is not in denial, these killings will be resolved and the Armed Forces shall continue to be a vanguard for freedom," the President said in a statement as Malacaņang, through Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye released this morning to the Malacaņang Press Corps a copy of the Melo Commission’s report.

Reacting to the United Nations Special Rapporteur Philip Alston’s report that the military "should acknowledge" the increase in the number of extrajudicial killings, the President said the AFP is dealing "decisively" on the issue and would continue to safeguard the people.

"While the Armed Forces deal decisively with the issue of unexplained killings, I extol the 99 percent of our good and valiant soldiers who are on 24 by 7 alert to safeguard the people and the nation," she said.

The President said the government is serious in dealing with the issue of unexplained killings and this was manifested when it welcomed the UN special rapporteur and allowed him to do his work "unimpeded and to render his report in full glare of the media."

"This proves beyond doubt that the Philippine government upholds democracy, human rights and press freedom. We thank Mr. Alston for acknowledging the cooperation of the government in his probe, and that we are taking the right steps to right the situation," she added.

The President also acknowledged the "serious views" of Alston and said these were taken constructively together with the recommendations of the Melo Commission.

"The nation must unite to bring down the curtain on a generation of political violence and strengthen social order and justice. This is about right and wrong, not about left or right," she stressed.

The President reiterated her call to "all sectors and stakeholders" to speak up, present witnesses, achieve justice and "help us move forward."

In a statement on the release of the Melo Report, Bunye said "it was incomplete, not for want of sincere efforts to get to the bottom of things, but mainly due to the lack of cooperation of a number of victims and their families."

He said the government is committed to putting a stop to all extrajudicial killings as he appealed for " calm and resolve" that the issue on unexplained killings would not be used "during the volatile political campaign season."

Bunye said that while the Melo Report is still incomplete, it nevertheless represents a "significant milestone in moving towards the solution of unexplained killings."

"For the first time in a generation, we have begun to lift the veil on violence that has beset our nation for far too long. This is a significant step forward to bringing perpetrators of political violence to justice," he added.

With the success of the government’s half-priced medicines program, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo now wants it expanded so more poor people nationwide could benefit from the program.

In a round table discussion in Malacanang this afternoon, the President said the program could include any drugstore willing to sell the commonly used medicines at cheaper prices.

"The reason why we asked the Philippine International Trading Corporation to purchase these cheap medicines is because we want to make sure any drugstore can have it," the President explained during the forum that included Makati Rep. Teddy Locsin, PITC Undersecretary Elson Rivera and housewife Malou Hormigos.

The President said she would tag along some drugstore owners when she visits India in December "so they can find manufacturers there."

The PITC imports cheap medicines from India.

"India sells to the poor world so they are reputable," the President pointed out as she stressed that cheap medicines are not the "placebo" ones or those used as substitute for the real drugs.

She said she cannot comprehend why medicines in the country in 2001 were quite expensive when only five percent are patented and 95 percent are off-patents.

The President said she wants the commonly used medicines by the poor such as those for colds and cough, hypertension and pulmonary diseases, among others, to be sold at half-the-price of 2001 by the end of her term in 2010.