Caloocan bishop provides Kian witness' dad with sanctuary

Caloocan Bishop Pablo David said on Saturday evening that the father of a witness to the Kian delos Santos killing had left the custody of the Philippine National Police and had sought the protection of the Church.

According to David, the witness and the witness' siblings, two adults and four minors all in all, had sought the Church's protection after giving testimony at a Senate hearing.

David had agreed, just as long as the sibling's legal guardians gave their consent.

The sibling's father, identified by David as Roy Concepcion, had been in police custody because of an illegal-drugs charge and was thus unable to provide his approval.

On Saturday, after the Public Attorney Office paid for Concepcion's bail, he came over to David's office accompanied by a PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) police officer and Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) members and handed over a strongly-worded letter demanding custody of his children.

"Nagtataka naman ako kung bakit tinaggap mo ang kostodiya ng mga anak ko, gayong hindi ka naman nila kamaganak. Wala kang otoridad at karapatan, na ilagay mo sa iyong kostodiya, dahil base sa ating batas, in the absence ng mga magulang, ang mga may tanging karapatan, may obligasyon na magkukop sa mga menor de edad ay ang DSWD lamang," read the letter.

David made it clear that he had no problem with the father's request, and he had the children brought over to the archdiocese and prepared an agreement which said that the father was taking custody of his children.

However, once father and children had met, and after a long-distance call to his OFW wife in the Middle East, Concepcion suddenly declared that he wanted to leave police custody and join his children under the Church's protection.

"Nag-react siyempre yung CIDG at saka yung VACC. At dumating din ang kanilang lawyer," recounted David. "Medyo nagkaroon ng konting tension."

But in the end, Concepcion was firm in his decision and "umokay naman ang CIDG, VACC ng maginoo."

David explained that he had agreed to offer Concepcion the Church's protection because the children seemed genuinely distressed that their father would remain in police custody.

"Dapat, pag biktima ka ng krimen, sa pulis ka lalapit. Pero, pag ang akusado ay pulis mismo, kanino pa sila lalapit?" the bishop added.

David also offered Concepcion entry to the Diocese's drug rehabilitation program, and he readily agreed.

Caloocan police officers claimed that 17-year-old Kian delos Santos was killed in a shootout, but witnesses have testified that delos Santos was in police custody when he was shot to death. — DVM, GMA News