The Dambana ng Paghilom (Shrine of Healing) at La Loma Catholic Cemetery in Caloocan City accommodates victims of alleged extrajudicial killings during the Duterte administration. It has 100 vaults and can hold at least 600 urns. (PNA photo by Joan Bondoc)
House Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal Partylist Rep. Leila de Lima marked the eighth anniversary of the killing of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos with a renewed appeal for justice — not only for Kian, but for the thousands of lives lost to extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during the government’s war on drugs.
“Ngayong araw, ginugunita natin ang pagpaslang sa 17-taong gulang na si Kian — isang karumal-dumal na krimen na nagmulat sa marami nating kababayan sa karahasan, kapalpakan, at kademonyohan ng war on drugs ng nakaraang administrasyon ni Duterte,” De Lima said over the weekend.
Kian, who was shot dead during a police anti-drug operation in Caloocan City on August 16, 2017, has become a symbol of the brutality of the campaign. De Lima reminded the public that he was just one of thousands killed without due process, leaving families still searching for justice.
The lawmaker is pushing for the urgent passage of House Bill No. 1432, or the Anti-Extrajudicial Killing Act, which defines and penalizes EJKs. The measure would create an Inter-Agency Council Against Extrajudicial Killings, tasked with ensuring accountability for both state and non-state actors involved in unlawful killings.
Under the proposed law, those convicted of EJK — whether public officials, law enforcers, or private individuals — would face life imprisonment without parole.
“EJK is a clear and present phenomenon of the times, boldly challenging our constitutionally protected human right against the taking of life, and a transgression of due process and the presumption of innocence,” De Lima stressed.
She added: “Panagutin ang pasimuno at lahat ng kasabwat sa pamamaslang, lalo na sa mga inosenteng bata at sibilyan.”