CHED exec shares Facebook meme defending PNP on Kian case

Prospero de Vera III. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/JOANBONDOC

An official of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) weighed in on the death of Kian Loyd de los Santos, by posting on social media a meme questioning why the entire police force is being condemned for the actions of the policemen behind the death of the 17-year-old student, yet the church is shielded from the deeds of some of its unscrupulous priests.

CHED Commissioner Prospero de Vera III shared on his Facebook page on Friday a meme from a pro-Duterte account which argued the responsibility and accountability of institutions on the actions of its members.

“If the acts of a few priests cannot be used to condemn the entire church, why do some insist on condemning the entire PNP (Philippine National Police) because of three cops,” read the post shared by De Vera, which he said had a “good point.”

Following the death of the student last week in the hands of three Caloocan policemen, the police drew flak from various sectors which pointed out that it has become “abusive” in implementing the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

Among those who voiced concern on the continuous killings of suspected drug users and peddlers was the clergy, with Archbishop Socrates Villegas of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines criticizing why it was only the poor who is being targeted in the administration’s brutal and bloody campaign.

De Vera appeared to take up the cudgels for the PNP as he questioned the “consistency (or inconsistency) of the position taken by many people or by institutions.”

“It is possible that there are many more policemen involved in illegal activities, but the same goes for priests,” he said.

In the past, the church saw several of its priests get embroiled in scandalous acts, such as incidents of child molestation. Most recently, authorities nabbed a Taytay priest for allegedly sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl. Such actions, however, are not encouraged by the church.

READ: Priest nabbed ‘en route to motel’ with 13-year-old girl

Since the launch of the war on drugs last year, the police repeatedly found itself in hot water as some policemen were even unmasked as motorcycle-riding gunmen. It also had to explain several questionable operations, most notably the case of Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa who allegedly fought back while a warrant was being served to him inside his cell at dawn.

Despite these incidents, President Rodrigo Duterte remained unfazed as he repeatedly urged the police to kill suspects if they put up a fight. He even encouraged police to give suspects a gun if they are unarmed. JPV