FACED with imminent death in the hands of cops in 2017, all a teenager in Caloocan City could think about was missing a school examination the following day.
Kian delos Santos was gunned down eight years ago this week by policemen in the name of the so-called war on drugs of the Duterte administration. Delos Santos’ death was a tragedy for his family because the young man dreamed of rising above poverty and making something of himself when he grew up.
What he is now, instead, is a reminder of the brutality and senselessness of the anti-drug campaign. To be sure, there were thousands like Delos Santos, each with their own stories and struggles, whose lives were snuffed out in the name of the drug menace.
Many things have happened in eight years. Three police officers were found guilty for Delos Santos’ death; they were slapped with a 40-year prison sentence without eligibility for parole. As was the common line, they portrayed the teenager as firing at them first leaving them with no choice but to shoot back. Actual footage showed otherwise.
The person who engineered the drug war, former President Rodrigo Duterte, is now incarcerated in The Hague, facing the charge of crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court. Many other top officials are facing similar charges and will be made to account for their actions in due time. The former president’s camp insists he simply wanted to put some order in society.
Duterte’s followers are also propagating narratives about his old age and deteriorating health. See, he is selling his house and has even told his paramours to find other partners. They say he must be brought home, because he is in a pitiful condition. What heartlessness, they say, to punish an old man, a maverick who loved his country too much?
Fortunately, international law observes objective processes and strives to be impervious to contrived sentiment. The truly strong arguments that would determine guilt or innocence lie in the stories of those who died, and those who will testify.
As we remember Delos Santos and the thousands of others who were killed in the guise of enforcing discipline and making society more peaceful, let us continue to keep watch. What happens in the case now being tried in the Netherlands? What will the implications be for all the others who made the drug war as brutal as it was and who believed they were invincible? Finally, how can we ensure that nothing of the sort will ever happen again – not today and not in the future?
