Bam: Kian death probe to prove Senate independence from admin

Senator Bam Aquino. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/LYN RILLON

The Senate majority bloc’s initiative to conduct an investigation into the death of 17-year-old Kian Loyd delos Santos would give the Senate opportunity to assert its independence from the Duterte administration.

Senator Bam Aquino said this on Tuesday as he welcomed the resolution filed by his colleagues in the majority condemning the killing of the minor and calling for an investigation into the deaths and abuses committed by the police in the government’s drug war.

“This is an opportunity for the Senate to assert independence, uphold justice and stand with the Filipino,” Aquino said in a statement.

“Marami na sa ating mga kababayan ang malungkot, galit at nananawagan na tapusin na ang patayan, kung saan ang mga mahihirap na Pilipino ang laging nabibiktima (A lot of our countrymen are saddened, angered and calling to an end of these killings wherein poor Filipinos are always the victims),” he said.

Aquino also filed a resolution calling for a Senate investigation into the series of drug raids conducted by the police in different parts of Metro Manila and Bulacan that resulted in the deaths of at least 80 people, including Delos Santos.

“We expect that our filed resolutions will be consolidated so we can get to the bottom of these extrajudicial killings together and reassess the government’s strategy in addressing the drug problem,” he said.

READ: Duterte vows to punish cops in Kian killing if proven guilty

The senator also called on the administration to change its strategy in dealing with the drug problem in the country.

Duterte’s drug war, according to Aquino, “targets only the poor and the helpless, while influential personalities are given due process, especially those involved in the P6.4 billion illegal drugs that slipped past the Bureau of Customs last May.”

“The government’s all-out war against illegal drugs has failed to address the root causes of the drug menace in the country,” he said.

Delos Santos died after he was shot during a police operation in Barangay (village) 160 in Caloocan City. Police claimed he resisted authorities and allegedly fired at them using a .45-caliber gun. But witnesses and security footages obtained by the media depict a different scenario.

They said two policemen in plainclothes suddenly grabbed Delos Santos, blindfolded him, before being shot to death. Witnesses said they saw the unarmed Delos Santos crying and pleading for his life.

The Senate will conduct a probe on the incident and the recent spate of killings on Thursday, Aug. 24. JPV