De Lima wants probe into ‘police complicity’ after verdict vs. cops in Kian slay

After three cops were found guilty of murder for the slay of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos, Senator Leila de Lima called for the immediate creation of an independent commission to investigate the alleged role of police officers in drug war killings.

“The findings of the court in Kian’s case, the various reports on the killings, and the documentation of eyewitness accounts, all reasonably point to police complicity that should entail an independent in-depth investigation," De Lima said Saturday.

The probe or inquiry should be "completely independent" from the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and the Office of the President, she added.

De Lima made the proposal two days after a Caloocan City court convicted Police Officer 3 Arnel Oares and Police Officers 1 Jeremias Pereda, and Jerwin Cruz of the crime of murder over Delos Santos' death last August 16, 2017.

The opposition senator, a staunch critic of President Rodrigo Duterte's anti-drug campaign, said the verdict should serve as a reminder to other abusive policemen and the so-called "mastermind" behind the killings that "the law and justice will one day catch up with them."

“Magsilbing paalala at babala sana ito sa mga abusadong pulis, mga vigilante at mga pasimuno at mastermind ng mga patayang nagaganap: Lagi at laging mananaig ang katotohanan at katarungan. Sa tamang panahon. Sa lahat ng pagkakataon,” she said. —Margaret Claire Layug/KG, GMA News