‘Vile, barbaric act’: Senators react to killing of Reynaldo de Guzman

MANILA, Philippines — At 14, Reynaldo de Guzman did not deserve to be killed brutally.

This was the cry of lawmakers amid the public uproar over the death of De Guzman, who was last seen accompanying Carl Angelo Arnaiz, the teenager killed by cops in Caloocan.

De Guzman was found dead in a creek in Gapan, Nueva Ecija with 30 stab wounds and his head wrapped in packing tape and a shirt.

READ: What we know so far: Killing of Reynaldo de Guzman, 14 l 30 stab wounds for Carl’s teen pal

Sen. Risa Hontiveros described the killing of de Guzman as “a vile, gruesome and barbaric act.”

“Reynaldo, at the tender age of 14, did nothing to deserve such fate. To be stabbed 31 times is no accident. It is pure and simple murder of a child,” Hontiveros said.

“Killing an innocent child is already a ruthless display of cold-blooded butcher. Thirty stabs is savagery,” Sen. Nancy Binay said.

She added that the deaths of teenagers de Guzman, Arnaiz and Kian delos Santos cannot be dismissed as isolated cases.

Pattern of killings

Hontiveros, an opposition senator, reiterated there is a pattern in killings in the government’s drug war.

“Under President Duterte's bloody war on drugs, there is a pattern of killing young and poor people, particularly innocent minors. There is a policy to kill,” she said.

In the Senate hearing on the deaths of Delos Santos and Arnaiz on Wednesday, Public Attorney’s Office chief denied there was a pattern in killings but Hontiveros reminded the PAO chief of her radio interview.

"Actually pwede kong i-quote, dahil quoted po si Chief Acosta. Sinabi niyo sa dzMM kaugnay ng kaso ni Carl ‘ang punto dito buhay ito eh, bakit ganito ang pattern parang may pagkakahalintulad kay Kian, magkasunod halos ito, oras lang ang pagitan niyan," Hontiveros told Acosta.

READ: Acosta denies 'pattern' in killings, then Risa quotes her

‘End these killings’

Sens. Francis Pangilinan and Bam Aquino called on the government to stop the bloody war on drugs.

The Liberal Party president said the killings will not solve the country’s drug problem.

“Tanging pag-anunsyo lamang ng pangulo na itigil ang war on drugs ang siyang makatitigil sa patayan ng mga inosente at sa pang-aabuso at pagiging mamamatay tao ng mga tiwaling PNP,” Pangilinan said.

“Itigil ang mapang-abusong Oplan Double Barrel,” he added.

Aquino urged the Philippine National Police and the Department of Justice to ensure the murderers are caught, tried and imprisoned.

Pangilinan challenged the policemen to perform their duty: serve and protect. “Hanapin ang may sala at papanagutin. Hindi luha ang sukatan ng malasakit sa kapwa o sa paggampan sa trabaho.”

Sen. JV Ejercito stressed there will be “no sacred cows” in the investigations of these hearings.

“We will not allow the war against illegal drugs be exploited by butchers and monsters. We will not allow these culprits to be left unpunished!” he said.

Aquino, moreover, called on the Filipinos to stand up against the culture of violence.

“We must put an end to all these killings,” Aquino said.

Rethink strategy in solving drug problem

For Sen. Joel Villanueva, the authorities should rethink their approach in addressing the country’s drug menace, claiming other criminal groups might have taken advantage of the campaign against narcotics.

“Recent vigilante killings show that our police force has no complete control of criminality. It is important to reevaluate our strategy and consider stopping this aggressive campaign as this has become out of control,” he said.

Duterte's bloody drug war had been heavily criticized, with human rights groups claiming between 7,000 to 9,000 had been killed in the drug campaign as of May.