Palace: People have right to rally for Kian, others killed in drug war

MANILA, Philippines — The Palace said on Monday that a rally calling for justice for the death of a boy allegedly gunned down by Caloocan cops last week is part of the people’s right to assemble and air their views.

Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said that President Rodrigo Duterte would allow such public gatherings as long as they would not pose a danger to public safety.

He added that the mass protest is part of Duterte’s “philosophy” that criticism was part of the job, especially if one is working in government. The president has in the past taken criticisms personally and has lambasted his critics in his speeches at public gatherings.

“The rally for Kian is part of the people’s right to assemble, express their views and air their grievances,” Abella said in a statement, referring to 17-year-old Kian Loyd Delos Santos, who was among those killed in drug operations in Metro Manila and Bulacan last week.

Delos Santos’ death, which Abella described as "isolated," spawned public criticism and condemnation after a video and witness accounts disputed police claims that the senior high school student offered violent resistance against arresting authorities.

Supporters of the drug war, however, insist that Kian and his family are involved in drugs and that those opposed to campaign against illegal drugs are either criminals, members of criminal syndicates or paid trolls.

Assistant Secretary Margaux Uson, said on her social media accounts that Kian's death should be investigated but that some are using his death for politicking.

READ: Senate majority condemns Kian's slay, calls for probe

"Muling ginagamit ng ilan ang emotion ng tao upang makakuha ng simpatiya sa taumbayan. Buti nalang at may utak na ang mga Pilipino at hindi na papaloko muli sa mga ganitong propaganda," she said on her verified social media accounts. In her posts she was referring to Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who visited Kian's wake.

Based on police accounts, Delos Santos tried to run away. Police said they found a gun and packets of shabu on his body when they shot him dead.

A security camera video showed a boy resembling Delos Santos being dragged by policemen in what appeared to be civilian clothes to where authorities later found his dead body.

Senators also condemned the killing, with one lawmaker even labeling the cops involved in the operation as “killers and criminals.”

On Sunday, senators who belong to the majority bloc in the Senate issued rare public criticism of the drug-related killings as it announced that a probe into the boy’s death was forthcoming.

Chief Superintendent Oscar Albayalde, the regional police chief of Metro Manila, announced last week that the three cops involved in the death of Delos Santos had already been relieved.

The Department of Justice also announced that it had directed the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct a probe into the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of Delos Santos whose mother flew in last week upon learning of her son’s demise.

Duterte’s brutal and relentless war on drugs has been criticized both locally and internationally for the mounting deaths in its wake. According to human rights activists, more than 12,000 people have died since the president launched his campaign last year.

The government has disputed this figure and said that deaths related to anti-drug operations were much lower. It said that many of the deaths were still under investigation.