Kian Delos Santos

Sen. Bam on the 1st death anniversary of Kian delos Santos

Mabagal ang galaw ng hustisya para kay Kian at wala pa ring katarungan para sa libu-libong mahihirap na Pilipino na patuloy na pinapatay ng mga Death Squad.

Ilan pa ba ang kailangang mapaslang bago natin makita na ang lipunang dumadanak ang dugo ng mahihirap ay puno lang ng pagdurusa at hindi makalilikha ng maliwanag na bukas?

Huwag sana tayong maging manhid sa patayan at karahasan na nangyayari sa ating mga lansangan.

Matuto tayo mula sa kabataang Pilipino na pursigido sa bawat hamon at hindi nawawalan ng pagmamahal sa kapwa. Kapit lang! Ituloy natin ang laban.

 

 

Sen. Bam urges Church to provide witnesses, policemen with stories about drug war

Sen. Bam Aquino called on the Catholic Church to encourage their witnesses to share direct information about the involvement of policemen in extra-judicial killings (EJKs) in connection with the government’s drug war.

During the hearing of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs on the deaths of Kian delos Santos, Carl Arnaiz and Reynaldo de Guzman, Fr. Robert Reyes and Fr. Bong Sarabia revealed that they were approached by families of young victims with knowledge of involvement of policemen in EJK.

According to the priests, they were also approached by policemen who have first-hand knowledge about EJKs. However, the priests said these witnesses have refused to reveal what they know because of fear for their lives and reprisal from people who might be affected by their disclosure.

“Ang pinakamainam na paraan ay mailantad ang mga kuwentong ito. With the help of the committee, puwede naman silang kunan ng salaysay and there are ways na hindi malalaman ang kanilang pagkakakilanlan. “Mas maganda kung makuha natin ang kanilang salaysay upang maimbestigahan nang maayos,” said Sen. Bam.

“Let’s cooperate and find a way na mailabas ang mga kuwentong ito para sabay-sabay nating bantayan na magkaroon ng hustisya ang mga namatayan,” added Sen. Bam, who also commended the Catholic Church for providing sanctuary for witnesses with knowledge about the EJKs in the country.

Sen. Bam also called on the Philippine National Police (PNP) to involve different sectors of society, including the Catholic Church, to ensure that no rights are violated in their anti-drug operations.

“It will be better if the PNP will cooperate and involve different sectors of society, especially the Catholic Church to join its anti-drug operations to guarantee that the rights of suspects are respected,” said Sen. Bam.

“Hopefully, we can come to a situation where the PNP will be more transparent with groups and sectors that have raised serious concerns with the war on drugs. Nanawagan na rin ang simbahan na itigil na ang extra-judicial killings sa ating bansa,” added Sen. Bam.

Sen. Bam: Give clear directive not to kill minors and unarmed suspects

Sen. Bam Aquino called on Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Ronald Dela Rosa to issue a clear and unequivocal directive to the police force not to kill unarmed suspects and to end the indiscriminate killing of minors. 

“A clear, definitive directive from the top na nagsasabing mali pumatay ng suspects na hindi nanlalaban, mahalaga iyon sa kapulisan,” said Sen. Bam after the hearing of the Committee on Public Order on the killing of Kian Delos Santos, who was killed during an anti-drug operation in Caloocan City.

 Police claimed that Kian fired at the policemen, forcing them to fight back. However, CCTV footage from the barangay showed that two policemen were seen dragging Kian to the alley where he was killed.

Another teenager, Carl Angelo Arnaiz, was killed by Caloocan City policemen after he allegedly robbed a taxi driver. However, forensic examinations showed that Arnaiz was handcuffed and was on his knees when he was shot two to three times in the chest.

By punishing policemen involved in the killing of Delos Santos and Arnaiz, Sen. Bam said it will send a strong signal that their unlawful acts will not be tolerated.

 “Kailangan bantayan ang mga kasong ito. The resolution of these two cases should send a clear signal to the rest of the police force that these unlawful acts will not be supported by the Senate or by the police hierarchy,” Sen. Bam stressed.

 “Maraming nakabantay sa mga kasong ito. Nakabantay talaga tayo kung magpapatuloy pa ang mga operations na ganito, kung may mamamatay pa ba. Gusto nating matigil na ang patayan,” added Sen Bam.

During the hearing, Sen. Bam asked Gen. Dela Rosa if there’s a pattern of killing in the PNP with the recent deaths of Delos Santos and Arnaiz.

 The top PNP official vehemently denied the existence of a pattern, saying the police have arrested 120,000 drug suspects alive.

  “The Senate is supportive of the war on drugs and arresting 120,000 criminals involved in drugs is appreciated, but killing of unarmed suspects is still a problem,” said Sen. Bam, adding that a clear directive from the top is a start.

Sen. Bam: Senate to assert independence, united against PNP drug killings

Sen. Bam Aquino welcomed the resolution filed by the Senate majority condemning the killing of 17-year-old Grade 11 student Kian Delos Santos and calling for an investigation into the bloody drug war.

The senator called this an opportunity for the Senate to assert independence, uphold justice and stand with the Filipino.

“Marami na sa ating mga kababayan ang malungkot, galit, at nananawagan na tapusin na ang patayan, kung saan ang mga mahihirap na Pilipino ang laging nabibiktima,” stressed Sen. Bam.

 Sen. Bam also filed a resolution seeking to investigate the series of drug raids conducted by police in different parts of Metro Manila and Bulacan that resulted in the death of at least 80 people, including Kian.

“We expect that our filed resolutions will be consolidated so we can get to the bottom of these extrajudicial killings together and reassess the government’s strategy in addressing the drug problem,” said Sen. Bam.

 The senator emphasized that the resolution is aimed at ending police abuse and protecting citizens, especially the helpless and the poor.

 “There is a need not only attain justice for Kian and other victims of abuse by the State in the hands of our law enforcers and authorities,” said Sen. Bam.

In addition, Sen. Bam called on the government to reassess and change the strategy of the administration’s drug war, which targets only the poor and the helpless, while influential personalities are given due process, especially those involved in the P6.4 billion illegal drugs that slipped past the Bureau of Customs last May.

“The government’s all-out war against illegal drugs has failed to address the root causes of the drug menace in the country,” said Sen. Bam, who recently visited the wake of Kian in Caloocan City.

 According to Sen. Bam, there have been thousands of deaths under investigation, including 3,116 killed in police operations and 31 children, since the Duterte government assumed office last July 1, 2016.

Last August 16, 2017, Kian, a Grade 11 student, was among the 12 people killed in simultaneous anti-drug operations in Caloocan City. He was found dead in the site of the encounter, lying face down in fetal position, with three gunshot wounds, one to his back and two to his head.

 Police claimed that Kian fired at them with a 45-caliber pistol but several witnesses attested that the Grade 11 did not have a gun and did not resist arrest. CCTV footage also showed men in civilian attire dragging a young man believed to be Kian before he was shot in a dark alley.

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