A United Nations investigator invited by the Philippine government to look into the cases of extrajudicial killings in the country said on Wednesday the Philippine military should admit the existence of a large number of such killings and start investigation into them.

Before winding up his 10-day mission to the Philippines, Professor Philip Alston, Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Human Rights Council on extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions, told the media that he believed the number of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines is "high enough to be distressing".

"How many have been killed?... I don't have a figure. But I am certain that the number is high enough to be distressing," he said.

Alston said he met with Philippine government and military officials including President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and with representatives of the civil society in Manila, Baguio and Davao, and received a tremendous amount of documentation from both sides.

He said the response of the government to the crisis of extrajudicial executions "varies dramatically", while that of the military is "almost total denial".

"The AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) remains ina state of almost total denial of its need to respond effectively and authentically to the significant number of killings which have been convincingly attributed to them," he said.

He said the reputation of the military will be "enhanced rather than undermined by acknowledging the facts and taking genuine steps to investigate."

Groups of civil society said hundreds of leftist-leaning activists have been killed since Arroyo assumed presidency in 2001 and most of the killings were done by the military engaging the left-wing guerrilla force of the New People's Army.

Source: Xinhua