Bishops want report on political killings made public

Two senior Roman Catholic bishops on Feb. 18 joined calls for the Filipino government to release the Melo Commission's report on extra-judicial killings. "There must be findings in the Melo report that are against the administration. Hence, it resolved to keep it secret," said Bishop Oscar Cruz. Cruz said the fact that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered copies of the report to be given to the European Commission and to UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston was "enough reason for the government to open the same report to the public." Bishop Antonio Ledesma, vice president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, said that "the people, particularly the families of the victims, are entitled to know the results of the investigations." The report has not been made public.