Justice for the innocents

Nobody wants to kill innocent persons. That was President Duterte talking, in a rare clarification of his order to those waging his relentless war on illegal drugs. In performing their duty, the President said, police should not be committing a crime. And killing someone who is kneeling down and begging for his life, he stressed, is murder.

Forensic experts told the Senate yesterday that Kian Loyd delos Santos was either kneeling or lying face down when he was shot dead at close range near his home in Caloocan during a police anti-drug sweep on the night of Aug. 16. The police officers implicated in the killing faced the Senate yesterday but refused to talk. They invoked their right against self-incrimination, even after being reminded that their silence would likely be construed by the public as an admission of guilt. Philippine National Police officials have vowed no whitewash. The PNP Internal Affairs Service is providing details about its investigation into what grieving relatives of the 17-year-old Delos Santos believe was a case of extrajudicial killing. Government officials have emphasized that the case is an isolated one and there is no systematic effort to execute drug suspects or to target minors like Delos Santos.

The death of Delos Santos has forced officials of the PNP and other agencies to admit that the case has shaken public trust in the police. Public cooperation is critical in the success of an anti-crime campaign. The best way to sustain public trust is to ensure that the PNP will not tolerate abuses, that offenders will be punished, and there will be justice for Kian Loyd delos Santos.