Senate majority seeks probe into Kian delos Santos’ death

MANILA, Philippines – The Senate majority bloc adopted a resolution calling for a probe into the recent spate of killings in the Duterte administration’s drug war, including the death of 17-year-old Kian Loyd delos Santos, who was shot by police conducting anti-drug operations in Caloocan City.

Majority senators signed the resolution following a caucus on Sunday, August 20.

They condemned “the recent spate of abuses by the police resulting in excessive and unnecessary deaths in the conduct of the campaign against illegal drugs.”

Senator Joel Villanueva posted photos of the resolution on his Twitter account, showing that he and the following senators have signed the document: Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III, Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto, Sonny Angara, Joseph Victor Ejercito, Sherwin Gatchalian, Richard Gordon, Gregorio Honasan II, Panfilo Lacson, Loren Legarda, Grace Poe, Cynthia Villar, and Juan Miguel Zubiri.

Villanueva said senators Nancy Binay and Francis Escudero also committed to sign the resolution. Aside from Binay and Escudero, Senator Manny Pacquiao is the only other member of the majority bloc who has yet to sign.

According to Villanueva, the resolution would be referred to the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, chaired by Lacson who is a former chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Also on Sunday, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Director Oscar Albayalde said their investigation primarily seeks to determine whether or not Delos Santos was a victim of an extrajudicial killing, not to find out if he was a drug courier as alleged by Caloocan police.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) are also separately looking into Delos Santos’ death.

The 17-year-old student was among the 81 people killed in anti-drug and anti-crime operations in parts of Metro Manila and Bulacan in the past week. (READ: Robredo on Kian’s killing: It could happen to our children) – Rappler.com