A Nation in Mourning
The unfortunate death of 17-year old Kian Lloyd delos Santos in Caloocan City along with thousands of other Filipinos is lamentable. One death is in fact too much for a nation that values the sanctity of life, for a country that is built on the strong foundations of human rights and dignity.
Kian was one of at least 80 people who died in a series of anti-drug operations in Metro Manila and Bulacan in the past weeks. These deaths arguably marked the deadliest period in the adminiatration's brutal war on drugs. This country cannot afford to lose more lives.
The death of Kian reminded us that the PNP is still replete with corruption and full of scalawags who should be wary of their recklessness and misdeeds. It also reminded us that not only civilians die in the campaign against drugs but those who are mandated to protect them as well. The police are dying too. We were reminded that if drug addiction continues unabated, more innocent lives will be in mortal peril because drug addicts will continue to rape, rob and kill. Kian ultimately reminded us that life is too precious and valuable to be wasted and dismissed very casually.
We therefore mourn for the death of Kian and for all the victims of the killings resulting from the misuse and abuse of power on the part of the law enforcement agencies of the country. We mourn too for the police officers who also died in the drug crackdown in the hope of keeping our streets and homes safe and secure. We mourn for every life wasted in the hands of criminals and drug addicts, for every person raped, robbed, murdered and denied a life of dignity. And we mourn for the erosion of our sensitivity to the value of human life, for the gradually increasing and ever-growing culture of death and impunity in the Philippines.
We cannot build this nation on the blood of our people. We cannot pursue a future founded on the cadavers of innocent civilians. No genuine development can ever happen in an atmosphere of fear and callousness.
This nation must be built upon the spirit of the constitutional guarantees for the rights to life, liberty, property, due process and rule of law among others. We are inheritors of a glorious past - one which was inspired by the pillars of democratic good governance. We should bring the nation to heights worthy of our forebears' vision - FREE, SAFE and GREAT!
President Duterte's commitment to hold liable the erring police officers in Kian's death must be sustained vigorously. He must, as President, lead the way to pursue justice for those who have fallen mercilessly in the wrongful, erroneous, and illegal police drug operations. He must prove that in the Philippines, no one is above the law. He must order a legitimate investigation on the killinga by a multi-sectoral body.
In the PNP 2013 guidebook for rights-based policing, the whole police organization commits itself to human rights, thus, "If understood in the proper context, the promotion and protection of human rights is at the very core of policing. The enforcement of laws and the maintenance of peace and order are, first and foremost, about protecting the rights of citizens."
Our training with the PNP on human rights last June 13-16, 2017 in Samal Island, Davao del Norte taught us that in history, a police organization that resorts to unbridled force is doomed to fail. For this reason, the public expects no less from every police officer to act like a morally upright and responsible father who looks after the welfare of his children without special favor; a devoted mother who shares meaningful advices and offers a warm embrace; a dutiful brother who is always on hand to defend the honor of his family; and a cheerful sister who is always ready to listen with an open heart PNP HR Manual, 2013).
'This is the kind of PNP we need. This is the kind of PNP we deserve.
While we are one with the government in its efforts to solve drugs and criminalities, we reinforce the call to pursue a rights-compliant policing - one that honors sincerely the universal guarantees for the respect, protrction and fulfillment of human rights.
(Photo grabbed from google)
