MANILA, Philippines — Akbayan party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña on Monday filed a bill seeking to ban “the use of tokhang” against alleged small-time drug users and peddlers, opting instead for more humane solutions.
Tokhang refers to former President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-illegal drugs campaign during his term, which led to the now infamous bloody war on drugs.
Cendaña tagged House Bill No. 11044 as the “Kian Bill,” named after Kian delos Santos, a Grade 11 student who was killed by police in 2017 in a supposed anti-drug operation.
Police claimed that delos Santos resisted arrest and opened fire at them when he was apprehended. Still, closed circuit television (CCTV) camera footage showed cops dragging the victim before he was found shot to death.
Eyewitnesses claim that delos Santos’ last words before being killed were: “Tama na po, may test pa ako bukas (Please let me go, I still have an exam tomorrow).”
“The Kian Bill prevents the killing of more innocent Kians. Imbes na dahas at bala, solusyon natin ang magbigay ng karampatang lunas at direktang lingap sa mga drug users (Instead of violence and bullets, our solution is to provide treatment and direct care to drug users),” Cendaña said in a statement upon filing the bill.
“The proposed law bans the use of tokhang or drug lists, torture, unlawful police interference, and other cruel methods used in the drug war,” he added.
According to Cendaña, the bill also provides a community-based health approach and social support interventions for drug peddlers and users.
READ: Kian delos Santos’ uncle faces Dela Rosa at probe, recalls drug war impact
Delos Santos’ death was among the major cases of murder by police that drew widespread condemnation of Duterte’s war on illegal drugs.
Government records show that at least 6,200 drug suspects died in legitimate anti-drug operations during Duterte’s term.
Some human rights groups, however, have claimed that the actual number of individuals slain during the drug war can be between 12,000 to 30,000.
READ: Duterte drug war has killed 2 per day, says UP study
A study done by the University of the Philippines on July 23, 2021, also suggested that the drug war had killed an estimated two people each day during Duterte’s last year in office alone.