Camanava killings wane after Kian case

Following the killing of senior high school student Kian Delos Santos in a supposed anti-illegal drugs operation and the public outrage that ensued, the spate of killings on the strets of the cities of Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela or the Camanava area, recently died down.

Yesterday, the Camanava area was relatively peaceful, with no killing reported, a marked departure from previous days when drug suspects were shot and killed almost on a daily basis.

"There has been a lull in the killings through legitimate police operations after the death of Kian Delos Santos stirred up a nationwide uproar," Caloocan Diocese Bishop Pablo Virgilio "Ambo" David said.

"Strangely though, there's also been a lull in the killings by masked killers. Which makes one wonder: Are the two groups somehow working for the same agency - but on different levels?," he said.

"The police have boundaries; the masked killers have no boundaries. But they kill the same people: drug suspects in their watch-list," the Bishop added.

David said that drug users must be rehabilitated and not killed.

"Drug users must not be killed, they must be rehabilitated because they are sick. We, in the church, are also against illegal drugs," he said.

The Diocese of Caloocan has been coordinating with the police and the local government unit in the rehabilitation of users of illegal drugs.

Delos Santos, 17, was laid to rest at La Loma Cemetery on Saturday.

About one thousand people, joined the funeral march and demanded justice for the Kian.

On the night of August 16, Delso Santos, who dreamed of becoming a police officer, was gunned down by members of the Caloocan City during an anti-illegal drugs operation in Barangay 160.

The police claimed Delos Santos was a drug runner and was killed after he allegedly resisted arrest.

But several witnesses and closed circuit televison footage proved and showed otherwise.

Barangay officials added that Delos Santos was not on the illegal drugs drug watchlist.