OPINION
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY August 16 - 31, 2017
We are Lorenzana and Kian is
every OFW’s child
Tinig Migrante
By E. Maestro
Kian delos Santos, a
17-years-old
Grade 11
student whose ambition was
to become a police officer
was killed by police officers
of Caloocan’s finest. CCTV
footage, forensic evidence and
testimony of brave witnesses
point to three policemen of
Caloocan as being responsible
for this crime. Kian’s death is
one of the tens of thousands
of killings as a result of
Duterte’s “war on drugs”
but it has brought together
students, church people,
poor communities, overseas
workers, elected officials and
many more to raise their
voices, march on the streets
and demand in a louder voice
that the Killings Must Stop.
Below is the statement of
Migrante International, the
global alliance of migrant
organizations,
of
which
Migrante BC belongs, on the
senseless killing of Kian.
Migrante
International
extends its most heartfelt
condolences to the family
and friends of 17-year-old
Kian Lloyd delos Santos,
the latest victim of President
Rodrigo Duterte’s ruthless
war on drugs.
We grieve with the delos
Santos family, especially
Kian’s mother Lorenza, an
overseas Filipino worker from
Saudi Arabia. Lorenza has
captured the hearts of OFWs
and their families all over the
world. We feel her sorrow
because it is also ours. We
mourn as she mourns. We
rage as she rages. Lorenza’s
family has become every
OFW’s family, and Kian every
OFW’s son.
We feel Lorenza’s hunger
for justice. It has fortified our
resolve to fight for justice
for Kian and every single life
lost. We join Lorenza in her
battle, as Kian’s death has
united every and all OFW and
family to win the war against
Duterte’s
psychopathic
rampage.
We condemn and hold
accountable the Philippine
National Police, Kian’s cold-
blooded murderers, who have
long been given license by no
less than Duterte himself to
conduct an unbridled killing
spree. Duterte has launched a
full scale use of state violence
against the people that has
resulted in countless human
Villar and Nograles
who holds and dispenses the
National Purse worth a trillion-
something, so conscientious-
ness is highly expected of this
committee composed of over
a hundred members and doz-
ens of vice-chairmen.
We are happy to report
that this congressman from
the first district of Davao fits
the bill very well. He has the
political clout, (he belongs to
the majority block and has
the trust and confidence of
the chief executive but is no
rights
violations,
the
terrorizing of communities
and extrajudicial killings
under the guise of his
government’s notorious
war on drugs.
How many more Kians
will suffer the same fate?
The Duterte government
remains
unremorseful,
it continues to condone
the senseless killings.
Innocents like Kian are
being victimized yet big
operators of the illegal
drug trade remain scot-
free. What thrives now
instead is a climate of
impunity of unprecedented
proportions, ever worse
than before.
The killings must stop.
Heads must roll. Kian’s
life is blood on Duterte’s
hands. All those who
committed, operated and
tolerated the spate of killings
are complicit and should
be held accountable by the
Filipino people.
We call on all Filipinos
around the world to rise up
against Duterte’s tyranny and
fascist rule. We do not want
more Kians to die because
of Duterte’s psychopathic war on drugs. He has already
proven himself unworthy of
the people’s trust. He has
betrayed the people by failing
to hold accountable all human
rights violators in the military,
police and government.
Migrante
International
stands firm that only through
the upholding of the social
and economic rights of the
people can the root causes of poverty and social problems
be thoroughly and genuinely
addressed. We must demand
a change to the very system
that victimized Kian and took
his innocent life. Only through
this can Kian, Lorenza and
every Filipino family get the
justice that they truly deserve.
#JusticeforKian ###
man, son of former speaker
Prospero Nograles Rhodora
Bendigo, is a well-rounded
legislator, active in social
work with the Gawad Kalinga,
Habitat for Humanity, a mem-
ber of the Jaycees, the Global
Organization of Parliamen-
tarians Against Corruption,
an advocate against poverty
and drugs, a champion of
health, livelihood, and edu-
cation opportunities for the
poor together with NGOs and
TESDA, and a human rights defender. In his district, he
is hands-on with the baran-
gay projects he supports in
sports, environment, and di-
saster-preparedness.
Does he sound too good
to be in Congress? Well, he
has served two terms honor-
ably and with honor. I salute
him, and I know he is des-
tined for a higher post when
he finishes his term!
Asked by the media ladies
of Bulung Pulungan sa Sofitel
about the divorce bill brewing in Congress, Karlo admitted
he “shudders” at the divorce
bill and professes his lifelong
commitment to his wife Maria
Margarita “Marga” Montemay-
or, also of Davao, with whom
he has three children. Marga
has her own business advo-
cacy, making jackets, bags,
and other fashion accessories
from indigenous Mindanao
fabrics. They will be part of a
fair at Rockwell starting Mon-
day. (MB.COM.PH)
FROM PAGE 7
rubber-stamp minion), the
work ethic of an iskolar ng
bayan at the Philippine Sci-
ence High School (he was a
CAT awardee there and he is a
Jesuit-trained management-
engineer and lawyer. He also
has the finesse of a seasoned
diplomat who can deal with
the different heads of govern-
ment bodies whose budgets
he will meticulously scrutinize
under a microscope to safe-
guard the national coffers.
The boyish congress-
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