CHR slams PNP's 'poor' work

MANILA - The Commission on Human Rights on Friday described as "poor" the work of policemen involved in what she called the "execution" of 17-year-old Kian Delos Santos.

Commissioner Karen Gomez-Dumpit said no matter the 11th grader's supposed drug links, Delos Santos' death brings to light how the police conducts drug operations.

"The issue here is how police operations are conducted and what substantiation goes behind these police operations—did they follow proper procedure, did they undertake proper investigation, did they follow in their rules of engagement?," she told ANC's Early Edition.

"Let’s not muddle the issue here: a life is extinguished, was extinguished, and it won’t help that we characterize this person who is a victim as a person who is a criminal or is a good person," she said.

"What we’re trying to take a look at here is what did the police do? Did they conduct the operations in accordance with their rules of engagement? Did they actually serve and protect the interest of the community and this person? No, a life was extinguished in a police operation," she added.

(PNP) chief Director General Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa already vowed to investigate Delos Santos' death. even as he asserted that the high number of deaths in overnight anti-drug raids was "normal."

• READ: 'Bato' vows to probe Caloocan teen's death

Delos Santos was killed after allegedly firing at policemen during a drug raid in Caloocan City last week. Police said he was a drug courier, but his family denied this.

Witnesses have said that before the boy was killed, police gave him a gun and told him to run for his life. A CCTV footage also showed cops dragging Delos Santos to the spot where he was later shot dead.

Delos Santos sustained a gunshot wound to his back, to the back of his left ear, and one inside his left ear, according to the results of the autopsy conducted by the PAO forensic laboratory.

This was later contradicted by the PNP Crime Laboratory, which said Delos Santos sustained two gunshot wounds to the head, in his left ear.

During the Senate hearing on Thursday, the two agencies agreed it was highly likely that Kian Loyd Delos Santos was already down on the ground when he was shot dead.

The cops also admitted during the hearing that they knew of Delos Santos' alleged drug connections after he was killed and only through social media.

URGES WITNESSES TO COME OUT

The CHR also appealed to Delos Santos' neighbors to come forward with their testimonies regarding the teenager's death.

• READ: Aguirre: Witnesses in Kian slay may have been 'brainwashed'

Gomez-Dumpit said they had a witness who said "that Kian was there, that he was picked up, and he was saying that I was just living here, and he was hurriedly taken away."

The witness, however, refused to sign an affidavit.

"We’re now looking and appealing to the neighbors who saw the incident to also come forward kasi this case is in the public eye already and one of the things that is good going on for this case is we have visuals to match the stories that witnesses would have probably seen," said Gomez-Dumpit.

"Of course, we already have the spot report that clearly shows or clearly reports a different version. Those things, we have to take into consideration," she added.