(UPDATED – 7:00 p.m.) MANILA, Philippines – Pakyawan ba ang bayad sa mga berdugo [Are executioners being paid wholesale]?
Sen. Leila de Lima posed this question to the current administration on Sunday following the escalation of drug-related killings in Bulacan and Metro Manila last week.
With the death of 81 people in just four days, including Grade 11 student Kian Loyd delos Santos, the detained lawmaker continued her attacks against President Rodrigo Duterte, whom she claimed is addicted to killing Filipinos.
“Ganito ang pagmasaker sa lipunan ni Duterte at ng mga berdugong handang pumatay ayon sa utos ng Pangulo. Ganito ka-adik sa pagpatay si Duterte na pinuri pa ang pagpatay sa 32 tao kada araw,” De Lima said in her 135th dispatch from her detention cell in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
[This is how society is being massacred by Duterte and the executioners who are ready to kill upon the orders of the President. This is how much Duterte is addicted to killing that he even praised the slay of 32 people per day.]
She said it appeared that there was competition among police stations to kill suspected drug users and dealers as authorities seemed to look forward to being honored by the Palace.
“Parang may kompetisyon sa mga istasyon ng kapulisan: Kung sinong pinakamaraming pinatay sa magdamag, may naghihintay na parangal sa Malacañang,” the senator said.
‘Time to express our hate’
Also, Vice President Leni Robredo condemned the surge in drug-related killings, including the slay of 17-year-old Delos Santos.
Robredo went straight early Sunday morning to Delos Santos’ wake in Brgy. 160, Caloocan City after returning from Naga City.
“Nakakalungkot ito. Ngayon, may mukha ito, itong si Kian. Parang sumasagi sa isip natin, ilan na ba iyong Kian na dumaan. Ilan pa ba iyong Kian na mangyayari?” she said in her weekly radio show, Biserbisyong Leni, on RMN radio, later in the day.
[This is saddening. Now it has face, it’s Kian. This makes us think and ask how many have suffered the fate similar to that of Kian. How many more Kians would there be?]
“Kaya tayo naman, kapag ganito, tingin ko obligasyon natin ipahayag iyong ating pagkamuhi sa ganitong klaseng pangyayari,” she added.
[That’s why if it’s like this, I think it’s our obligation to express our hate of this kind of incident].
Robredo said Kian’s parents told her they decided to file a case for the murder of their son.
She linked them up with Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) chairman Atty. Jose Manuel Diokno, even as Delos Santos’ parents told her that they had also been able to talk to another FLAG lawyer on Saturday.
The Vice President said she would do all she could to protect the witnesses to the murder.
“Kaninang nandoon tayo, marami tayong kuwento na nasagap. Kasi ‘yung lugar… madilim na madilim iyon, pero maraming kabahayan, kaya maraming kuwento doon sa nangyari noong gabi. Pero iyong hinihingi nila para sa mga testigo, proteksyon, kasi natatakot. Natatakot iyong mga testigo kasi may pasabi na raw na pananakot. Sa atin naman, kung anong makakaya natin para bigyan naman sila ng proteksyon, gagawin natin (When we were there, we heard a lot of stories. Because the place… it was really dark, but there are a lot of houses, which is why there were many accounts of what transpired that night. What they are asking for is protection for the witnesses, because they are afraid. The witnesses are afraid because there have been implied threats. For our part, we will give them protection to the best of our ability),” she said.
Hontiveros takes custody of witnesses
Meanwhile, Sen. Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros said on Sunday that her office had taken custody of the individuals who had witnessed the killing of Delos Santos and “began ensuring their safety.”
She said another institution “is also helping” the witnesses and the family of Delos Santos.
“The protection provided to the family will be extended to the key witnesses who will help in bringing to justice the perpetrators of the extrajudicial killing of Kian Lloyd delos Santos,” said Hontiveros.
Authorities alleged that Delos Santos was a drug courier in Caloocan. But his family and friends denied the student’s involvement in narcotics trade.
According to witnesses, three policemen allegedly framed Delos Santos and forced him to hold a gun, fire it and then run. This counters the police’ claim that the teenager was shot because the student fired at authorities first.
