Filipinos Protest Boy’s Killing in Philippines Drug War

Nuns stood side by side Monday with leftist protesters chanting slogans denouncing Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war, a week after police operations killed almost 100 suspected drug addicts and pushers in purported gun battles.

About 2,000 people braved storms and gathered at a Catholic shrine in Manila, calling for the Duterte government to show accountability for the killing of Kian Loyd delos Santos, a grade-11 student who was among the 96 killed in last week’s “one time, big time” police operations.

“Duterte, do not kill the Filipino race,” read a sign carried by protesters, while another demonstrator carried a placard urging him to “Stop Tokhang and Killings.”

Tokhang is a combined Filipino word that means “knock and plead” – a practice adopted by police which involves visiting a suspected addict’s home, knocking at the door and persuading the suspect to surrender.

It has come to symbolize Duterte’s heavy-handed approach to the drug menace, because thousands of people subjected to the practice have died on Manila streets.

Duterte: no gunfight

In a televised statement, Duterte said he had seen the closed-circuit security footage showing two policemen in plainclothes grabbing delos Santos and taking the boy to an alley where he was found dead.

The video convinced him there was no gunfight, Duterte said, adding he ordered authorities to take custody of police officers involved in the killing.

Police had said the student opened fire at them, but witnesses told local reporters they saw the unarmed delos Santos crying and pleading for his life. He was later found dead, suffering fatal wounds to the back of his head.

“I agree that there should be an investigation. If there is liability, they will go to jail,” Duterte said. “I instructed police to put the officers in custody.”

Duterte, who unleashed a deadly crackdown against drug users and dealers as soon as he took his oath on June 30, 2016, said he would not interfere in the investigation.

So far, more than 8,000 deaths have been logged, but police said only about 3,500 have died as a result of gun battles during police raids, while the rest were considered “deaths under investigation” or killings blamed on vigilantes.

National police chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa has suspended the officers involved in the shooting and ordered an investigation.

However, he has backed the arresting team’s version of events even as the public attorney’s office in its initial investigation said that the boy’s death appeared to be a case of “intentional killing” because there were “no signs he fought back.”

A flood of illegal drugs

Demonstrators on Monday said Duterte was responsible for delos Santos’ death and should be held accountable because he has repeatedly exhorted policemen to shoot and kill.

At the height of last week’s bloody campaign, Duterte praised police and pinned medals on some who took part in the killing of 15 suspects last month, including a mayor he had publicly named as among 150 public officials on his drug-watch list.

Last week has been the most violent so far in Duterte’s drug war, and he has shown no signs of letting up in his campaign despite repeated calls by local and international human rights groups. The shootings also have been condemned by Catholic bishops and senators, including Duterte’s allies.

A statement signed by more than 64 professors and academics noted that delos Santos was not the first minor killed in Duterte’s campaign. It said others – a 4-year-old and two 5-year-olds – were slain separately when police went after their fathers who were suspected of being involved in drugs.

“Whether killed by police, or murdered allegedly by unknown assailants, the senseless deaths of so many of our youths and thousands of our citizens are a signal of the worsening environment of violence and lawlessness that now threatens the very communities that the anti-drugs campaign was supposed to protect,” the petition said.

It said that despite the tough stance against drugs, there appeared to be a continuous influx of illegal drugs into the country.

“We are alarmed that too much attention has been given to punishing small-time drug users and pushers, but little has been done to prevent big-time drug smugglers from continuing to flood the country with illegal drugs,” the group said.

Sen. Bam Aquino, a minority member in the 24-member Senate, said the senators had all agreed to carry out an investigation, a rare occurrence in a congress controlled by Duterte politicians.

“We hope that the government hears our genuine and heartfelt cry that these killings should stop,” he said. “What the public feels now is that there appears to be an inconsistency in government’s war that killed Kian. It really is wrong and the killings should stop.”

Catholic nuns join a protest rally in Manila calling for an end to the government’s anti-drugs war, Aug. 21, 2017. (Linus Escandor II/BenarNews)