Cops get jail over drug war killing

Three Philippine officers sentenced to decades in prison for murdering a teenager during an anti-narcotics sweep. It is the first conviction under President Rodrigo Duterte’s crackdown on drugs.

MANILA: A Philippine court convicted three police officers of murdering a 17-year-old boy during a crackdown on narcotics in a slum neighbourhood in 2017.

The verdict marks the first conviction of police under President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign against illicit drugs, which left nearly 5,000 people dead since July 2016.

National police chief Director General Oscar Albayalde vowed the conviction would not hamper the anti-drug campaign.

“This can serve as a reminder for our personnel to be extra diligent in fulfilling the requirements of the law,” he said.

“But this will not cause us to waiver in our resolve to rid this society of illegal drugs, he added yesterday.

Judge Rodolfo Azucena sentenced each officer to up to 40 years in prison, without eligibility for parole, for the killing of Kian Lloyd Delos Santos in the suburban city of Caloocan on August 16, 2017.

But Azucena found the officers not guilty of planting illegal drugs and other evidence, such as a pistol allegedly used by Delos Santos to fight back, a key part of the officers’ defence.

The judge noted that while the court acknowledged the danger faced by law enforcers in their jobs, the use of unnecessary force or wanton violence is not justified.

“A shoot first, think later attitude can never be countenanced in a civilized society,” he said in his 35-page decision.

“Never has homicide or murder been a function of law enforcement. Peace is never predicated on the cost of human life.”

Delos Santos was one of three teenagers whose deaths last year triggered public outrage over Duterte’s drug war.

The three police officers were caught on security footage dragging Delos Santos to a dark alley in his neighbourhood, where he was shot in the head while kneeling down and begging for his life.

We are very happy that the rule of law and truth have prevailed in this case, said lawyer Persida Acosta, chief of the Public Attorneys Office that assisted the Delos Santos family during the case.

Delos Santos mother, Lorenza, said yesterday that she hoped the verdict would serve as a warning to other police officers not to commit abuses.

“This proves that my son was innocent and was not involved with illegal drugs,” she added.

The police should be afraid because this case proves that they can be jailed for life if they don’t stop the bad things they are doing.

Human Rights Watch cautiously hailed the decision, noting that Duterte once promised to pardon any law enforcer convicted in drug war killings.

“This is a triumph of justice and accountability and a warning to members of the Philippine National Police to respect due process and the rights of civilians as they do their job,” said Brad Adams, Asia director of the New York-based group.

“But at the same time, we are also wary because Duterte has promised to pardon police officers convicted in the drug war killings,” he added.

“There is reason to suspect that he will keep that promise.”