Caloocan City prosecutor Darwin Cañete commented on the killing of 17-year-old Kian Delos Santos, alleging that the boy was not entirely innocent of the crime of drugs.
Delos Santos, a grade 12
student, was killed by cops in a police operation, the latter claiming that he
was resisting arrest.
While admitting that
punishment should be inflicted should the policemen be found guilty of
extrajudicial killings, the prosecutor said that the possibility of Delos
Santos being actually involved in illegal drugs should be considered.
“I am not saying they
did not kill the kid. The (police) should be held accountable if ever it’s a
proven EJK (extrajudicial killing). But making the kid super innocent? I am not buying it," said Cañete, as
quoted by the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
"EJKs are wrong,
and if proven, the (police) should be punished. But use facts, not emotions,”
he added.
The prosecutor who is
known to be expressive of his opinions in social media, used said platform to
comment on the issue, claiming that the chances that Delos Santos was totally
innocent and that the authorities merely planted Php. 16,000 worth of drugs on
him is "totally far-fetched".
The prosecutor also
commented on the Philippine media saying, “The media narrative is too black and
white. Without evidence, it would be unfair to ascribe which one is guilty or
innocent.”
“It is two-sided. The
police have a right to self-defense but also the duty to avoid unnecessary loss
of life. We cannot second guess what is there on the ground. We can only pray
that they make the right call every time,” Cañete said.
The prosecutor mentioned
the Juvenile Justice Law as proof of the existence of crimes committed by minors.
The Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006
(Republic Act 9344) was authored by Sen. Francis Pangilinan, and it states that a child who is 15 years old or
younger at the time of the commission of the offense shall remain exempted from
criminal liability but instead, he will be subjected to an intervention program
from the government.
Cañete said he was
called an hour after the incident to observe the Scene of the Crime Operatives
processing the crime scene, and noticed that the skin markings on the boy made
him “believe the sachets (of shabu) were lodged there for quite some time even
before the shooting.”
He claimed that
policemen simply do not plant over 10 grams of "shabu" on strangers,
he did not provide for a basis.
“Why (pick) P16K worth
of drugs when a fraction will suffice if the intent is to plant?” he said on a
text message to reporters.
Asked about the CCTV footage that had captured
two policemen dragging Delos Santos, the prosecutor asked, “Are we even sure it was the kid on
CCTV? The CCTV should be enhanced before
(people start) jumping to conclusions,” he added.
In an earlier comment on Facebook, Cañete said netizens
should wait for the Senate hearing on August 22, when “our policemen will
present their side. It is better to wait … so the full truth can be revealed.”
Source: Inquirer
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Fiscal reacts on Kian’s death: 'It is two-sided, the police have a right to self-defense but...
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21 August
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