Successes
Several investigations into the killing of Kian delos Santos, the 17-year-old Grade 11 student killed in a PNP operation against illegal drugs are now being called for. It seems everyone wants to get in on the action, jumping on the bandwagon. According to the version of the police, they were forced to shoot because the suspect resisted arrest and fought back -the literal translation of the now infamous "nanlaban", which is the standard statement of the PNP today. However, based on a CCTV video and testimonies of some witnesses who have now surfaced, that is not the case.
Witnesses are saying that Kian was taken by plainclothes policemen to the spot where he was found dead. He was allegedly beaten, handed a gun, ordered to discharge it and then run, tailoring the scenario by which the police can peddle their narrative. In other words, Kian was innocent, and the police merely wanted to add another body to their count for the day, and then some. With the supposed CCTV video and the witnesses, it seems a cut and dried case of extrajudicial killing.
The PNP, in turn, have presented a supposed drug pusher who allegedly has had many dealings with Kian in the past. While the usual rah-rah boys of the current bloody war on drugs are convinced, many are not. Kian was not even on a drug list. Everyone who knew him denied he was ever into drugs, whether using or selling. The testimony of the supposed pusher is also in question. Too convenient, many are saying, in light of the outrage this case has generated, with even those known to be allied with the administration expressing the same.
But will anything ever come out of these investigations? What if President Duterte once again comes to the defense of the police? Would that be a foregone conclusion? Is all the outrage, especially from the allies of the president all for show? Remember, no less than the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee has shot down extrajudicial killings or state-sponsored killings. There is a strong call for impartial investigations, sure. But despite the fact that many extrajudicial killings have occurred in the country, where some are most likely innocent victims, it still seems to be the new norm.
I find it amusing for the Palace to say that the streets are much safer now. How can one feel safe, if there exists the possibility of being singled out by the police to be another statistic in the highly successful war against illegal drugs in a staged encounter, especially if you are poor? How safe does one feel, when all the police have to say is "nanlaban", along with the presumption of regularity? And if they are ever found to be guilty, does that bring back the dead, or more accurately, murdered? If President Duterte has said that it is not possible to wipe out the drug problem of the country within six years, how many more "successes" will the police present?
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