Where did police get information that slain teen Kian delos Santos was linked to drugs?
“We based it on, sir, what was coming out on social media,” Caloocan police chief Chito Bersaluna told senators during a probe on the killing of the 17-year-old student yesterday.
Boxer-turned-senator Manny Pacquiao snapped back at Bersaluna. “You know, that kind of reasoning is not acceptable,” he said. “To say it was from social media is very shallow.”
This answer made Senator Joel Villanueva raise questions over how the Philippine National Police (PNP) carries out its anti-drug operations. “I am not Kian’s parent but when I heard that…How many operations are based on social media? Is this included in the process being followed by the PNP?” he said.
Police officers initially said delos Santos was killed in a gun battle but changed their story when CCTV footage of the 17-year-old being dragged by police officers was released. Witnesses also said that they heard delos Santos scream before being shot “Tama na po! May test ako bukas! (That’s enough! I have a test tomorrow!)” Forensic experts from the Public Attorney’s Office found that delos Santos was shot from the back.
Villanueva told Bersaluna that he expects intelligence reports to be based on “thorough and objective investigation.”
After the killing sparked outrage on social media, police presented an unidentified witness who accused delos Santos of being a drug runner.
Some netizens responded to the outrage by saying they had personal knowledge of delos Santos as a drug runner.
However, Metro Manila’s police director said that whether or not he is involved in the drug trade is not the point. “What we’re trying to prove here is it’s true he was summarily executed,” Albayalde told Rappler on Sunday.
According to research by the Children’s Rehabilitation Center, at least 27 minors have been killed by the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. The Commission on Human Rights says 12,000 people have died in the country so far since the drug campaign began, although this is a figure the government disputes.
