SENATOR Leila de Lima sought the immediate creation of a fact-finding body that will investigate the possible collusion among police officers in the killings attributed to the Duterte administration's war on drugs on Saturday, December 1.
De Lima made the call for an “in-depth” investigation against the police, as she welcomed Caloocan Regional Trial Court's (RTC) guilty verdict against the cops involved in the murder of minor Kian Lloyd delos Santos.
Delos Santos, a grade 11 student, was killed during the Caloocan City police’s “One time, Big Time” illegal drug operation on August 16, 2017.
Caloocan RTC Branch 125 on Thursday, November 29, sentenced Police Officer (PO) 3 Arnel Oares, PO1 Jeremias Pereda, and PO1 Jerwin Cruz to 40-year imprisonment without parole, in connection with the killing of Delos Santos, whose death sparked public outrage.
De Lima, one of the most vocal critics of the anti-narcotics drive, said the court's ruling “provides oasis for justice seekers in another wasteland of human wrongs.”
She then emphasized the need to create a commission independent from President Rodrigo Duterte's office, the Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), in a bid to determine the role of police officers in the drug war killings.
“For the thousands of families of victims of EJKs (extrajudicial killings) and other crimes of impunity under the current administration, this is a most welcome respite, and a much needed boost for all human rights defenders to carry on the fight for truth and accountability,” she said.
“The findings of the court in Kian’s case, the various reports on the killings, and the documentation of eyewitness accounts all reasonably point to police complicity that should entail an independent in-depth investigation. That probe or inquiry should be completely independent from the PNP, Pdea, and the Office of the President,” she added.
On Thursday, Malacañang assured the public that Duterte will not grant pardon to three Caloocan cops who were found guilty of murdering Delos Santos.
De Lima said the Caloocan court's decision should serve as a reminder to “abusive” policemen and the “mastermind” of the spate of killings in the country that ‘the law and justice will one day catch up with them.”
“Magsilbing paalala at babala sana ito sa mga abusadong pulis, mga vigilante, at mga pasimuno at mastermind ng mga patayang nagaganap: Lagi at laging mananaig ang katotohanan at katarungan. Sa tamang panahon. Sa lahat ng pagkakataon (May it serve as a reminder and warning to abusive police, vigilantes, and mastermind of the rampant killings that the truth and justice will always prevail, in the right time and at all times),” she said. (SunStar Philippines)