IN THE KNOW: Police killings of teenagers

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/929298/war-on-drugs-drug-killings-extrajudicial-killings-kian-loyd-delos-santos-carl-
angelo-arnaiz-reynaldo-de-guzman / 07:13 AM September 10, 2017

The circumstances surrounding the deaths of Kian Loyd delos Santos, 17, Carl Angelo
Arnaiz, 19, and Reynaldo de Guzman, 14, have implicated the police.

Delos Santos was killed on Aug. 16 in Caloocan City. Police claimed Delos Santos was a
drug runner and they killed him after he fired at them with a .45 caliber pistol during a drug raid.
But according to witnesses, plainclothes officers took Delos Santos into custody, dragged him to a
dark, trash-filled alley and shot him three times, leaving his body next to a pigsty.

Two days later, on Aug. 18, Arnaiz, a former student of the University of the Philippines,
was killed also in Caloocan. Police said Arnaiz robbed a taxi driver and they killed him in an
exchange of gunfire.

The body of Arnaiz, who was last seen on Aug. 17, was found on Aug. 28 by his parents in
a morgue.
Dr. Erwin Erfe, chief of the Public Attorneys Office (PAO) forensic laboratory services,
found that Arnaiz had deep abrasions and marks showing he was handcuffed, dragged and severely
beaten.
The body of De Guzman, Arnaizs last known companion, was fished out of a creek in
Gapan City, Nueva Ecija province, on Sept. 5. It remains unclear when and where De Guzman was
killed.
Forensic examination by the National Bureau of Investigation showed that De Guzman had
been stabbed at least 26 times and that the knives pierced his lungs and heart.

Some of De Guzmans wounds indicated the killers continued to stab the boy even after he
had already died, according to Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II.

PAO and NBI have filed murder charges against the officers involved in the killing of
Delos Santos.

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines also brought criminal charges in the Office of the
Ombudsman against Chief Supt. Roberto Fajardo, head of the Northern Police District, and Senior
Supt. Chito Bersaluna, Chief Insp. Amor Cerillo and three others.
JOSON, JUSTEL ALTHEA G. THEO 3
SIR EMERSON RUGA SEPTEMBER 11, 2017

REFLECTION: IN THE KNOW: Police killings of teenagers

Our country has seen an unprecedented level of killing by law enforcement since Duterte took
office. There is a police statistics that show in a span of four months since he was elected, police
killed an estimated 1,790 suspected drug pushers and users. The police categorize those killings
as deaths under investigation, but there is no evidence that police are actively probing the
circumstances in which they occurred.

When he was a mayor of Davao City, President Duterte created an image of a successful peace and
order mayor on his reputation as a supporter of vigilantism and turning a blind eye to extrajudicial
killing by the so-called Davao Death Squad. This supposedly evolved from the NPA hit squad, the
Sparrows, and is still active today. He was said to have approved the extrajudicial killing of over
one thousand suspects in Davao as mayor and to the delight of the adoring
cheering crowd he declared, the 1,000 will become 100,000, it will be bloody and there will
be no need for more jailsjust funeral parlors.

The government is clear on its advocacy against criminality and corruption. However, corruption
does not only encompass national coffers but also power and authority corruption. Corruption
means fraud, dishonesty and that may pertain to performance of duty whatever public post it
is. A policeman is no exception. Especially those who are just liquidating witnesses to their
corruption. We cannot say that a scene is legitimate police operation or not, unless
investigated without bias. That is why the Commission on Human Rights are not hindered on
doing their part to neutralize the situation.

If the number of fatalities relate to legitimate encounters, then, the illegal firearms industry has
made a killing and BIR should look after the financial reports of those in the trade. If the drug
pushers opted to fight their way out against police operatives, then the drugs they took made them
violent. However, what have autopsies revealed, were the dead into cocaine, shabu or something
else? Were there drug pushers who lived after shootouts? Were there reports of policemen bringing
the wounded pushers to the nearest hospital? Were there casualties who died on arrival at the
nearest medical facility? Were there police operatives who got wounded or killed in the shootouts?
If there were none, then our operatives are shooters.

I am not in favor that SHOOT TO KILL is the way to achieve the goal of a safer country. When
did fighting fire with fire ever actually work in the long run? There has to be a better middle
ground. If the president`s mandate of shoot to kill is followed what we would end up with are even
more vigilantes walking the streets with a convoluted sense of wild west justice. This is not the
way to make things safe again, In fact, things might get even more dangerous. It is also clear that
the President is aware that these acts are ongoing. Even without proof of a directive on his part, he
has, in many instances, spoken about the use of violence against drug syndicates. Our government
should take immediate and effective measures to counter the recent wave of unlawful killings as
well as to address unresolved cases of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in the
country.

Whatever the propaganda about the success of violent solutions by a death squad in every town, it
will not end injustice, but only create more. Extrajudicial killings, if it happens as claimed, is not
a very effective crime control method. Only the front runners which are the usually the teens in
need of money are being held captive and died. Why is that so, that the big time drug pushers or
the real crime bosses have not been eliminated or put on trial. And if they were put on trial, why
are they the only ones being investigated and subjected to due process.
Only the conversion to spiritual values and respect for the dignity and values of every human
person will bring about positive change in our society. We hope and pray that justice will always
prevails in our country and not disregard the rights of every individual no matter how big or small
the crime they committed.