Conviction over Kian slay debunks ‘myth’ of impunity in drug war — DOJ

The murder conviction of three policemen over the killing of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos disproves the "myth" of a culture of impunity in the Duterte administration's anti-illegal drugs campaign, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Thursday.

The first judgment in a high-profile case involving state agents enforcing the President's war on drugs, a Caloocan judge's decision on Thursday sentenced Kian's killers to reclusion perpetua, or imprisonment of 30 to 40 years.

"The conviction debunks the myth that there is a culture of impunity in the government's war against illegal drugs," Guevarra said in a message to reporters.

Allegations of extrajudicial killings by law enforcers carrying out the anti-drug campaign abound as the deaths rise to the thousands.

"The conviction serves as a warning to our law enforcers that in the government's campaign against illegal drugs, the rule of law and due process must always be observed," the Justice chief said.

However, he said the judgment should not deter law enforcement agencies from "vigorously" pursuing the campaign, claiming that the "greater majority" follow proper legal procedures in the performance of their duties.

"We will continue to dispense justice, and let the hammer fall where it should fall," Guevarra said.

Police Office 3 Arnel Oares and Police Officers 1 Jeremias Pereda and Jerwin Cruz were found guilty of murder for killing the 17-year-old in August last year, which to critics served as an indictment of the administration's deadly approach to fight the country's illegal drug problem.

Oares had claimed the incident was a shootout and he had acted out of self-defense, but the court found that physical evidence did not match his version of events.

Pereda and Cruz offered the defenses of alibi and denial, which failed to convince the court of their innocence.

The case against the policemen's asset, Renato Perez Loveras, was ordered archived pending his arrest.

While the court "commiserates" with police officers who risk their lives to maintain peace, it said "homicide or murder has never been a function of law enforcement."

"The public peace is never predicated on the cost of human life," the court said. — RSJ, GMA News