Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has denounced the barbaric killing of a five-year-old kid whose unorthodox death highlights the dismal failure of the government’s war on drugs that only exacerbated the culture of violence and abuses in the country.
De Lima, the staunchest critic of the administration’s all-out war on drugs, said the brutal crime calls for the Philippine government to rethink its anti-narcotics policy which has miserably failed to stop suspected drug offenders from committing crimes.
“Saan po ba humantong ang bansa makalipas ang tatlong taon sa puwesto ng rehimeng Duterte? Libo-libo na ang pinaslang ng War on Drugs ng kanyang gobyerno, pero bakit patuloy pa rin ang mga karumal-dumal na krimen sa lipunan, pati na ang lalong paglubha ng kalakaran ng ilegal na droga?” she asked.
“Patunay lang ito na talagang hindi epektibo ang marahas at madugong polisiya ni Duterte. Nakababahala na sa mga susunod na taon, kapag patuloy na nanahimik at kinunsinte lamang ng ibang mga pinuno ang araw-araw na patayan, ay magpatuloy lamang ang ganitong karahasan at kawalang pananagutan sa bansa,” she added.
Based on news reports, the victim, a five-year old girl, was found dead inside a large pink bag made from recycled rice sack at the suspect’s house in Sta. Cruz, Laguna last May 20.
Sta. Cruz police chief Police Col. Armie Agbuya confirmed the child sustained cuts in the neck from a blunt knife and was stabbed with an ice pick, adding that they are yet to find out if she was sexually assaulted.
The suspect, identified as Glenn Ford Manzanero, 30, reportedly admitted to the crime and told police officers that he was “high on drugs” when he took the girl. Manzanero is now facing a murder charge.
The lady Senator from Bicol said the inhumane death of the five-year-old child should remind Mr. Duterte to stop his blatant encouragement of summary killings that has given people from different parts of the country the license to kill.
“Sa patuloy na paghihikayat ng Pangulo ng patayan sa ating bayan, mas lalo lang niyang binibigyan ng lakas ng loob ang mga masasamang loob na gumawa ng ganitong karumal-dumal na krimen dahil tila nakatatak na sa isip nila na ‘okay lang pumatay’. Maling-mali!” said the former justice secretary.
De Lima said the spate of killings in the country should awaken the sense of courage in every Filipino, especially public servants, to speak out against the worsening records of violence and killings in the country under Duterte’s leadership.
It may be recalled that last April, Duterte admitted that his administration’s all-out war on drugs has “failed” and was actually “worsening,” saying that “drugs has always been there. It even intensified.” A staunch critic of injustices happening in the country since Duterte assumed presidency, De Lima vowed to protect human rights of women and children even while in detention for trumped-up drug charges fabricated by the present administration.