Statement of Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Partido Liberal president,
On first year of the killing of Kian de los Santos and the President’s resign statements
Justice has yet to be served one year after the brutal murder of Kian de los Santos, the 17-year-old boy who was shot dead while kneeling and begging to be allowed to go home because he had an early class the following day.
It is a farce and a tragedy that one year after, another P6.8-billion worth of shabu has slipped past the Bureau of Customs, even as the guilty in the P6.4-billion shabu smuggling last year have yet to be punished. Go after the big-time smugglers of illegal drugs.
It is ironic that the President ran and won on the campaign to wipe out drugs in three to six months. Now, he’s talking about giving up and resigning, but willing to turn over the presidency to the son of the dictator.
Poverty, hunger, and social injustice are still the problems that ordinary Filipinos face every day, in the rising prices of goods and the growing insecurity in jobs. The country’s leaders are duty-bound to focus on easing, if not removing, these pains of their citizens.
Isang taon na matapos ang brutal na pagpatay kay Kian de los Santos, ang 17 gulang na batang lalaki na pinatay habang nakaluhod at nagmamakaawang pauwiin at may pasok pa nang maaga kinabukasan.
Katawa-tawa at kalunos-lunos na matapos ang isang taon, meron pang 6.8-bilyong-pisong halaga ng shabu ang nakalusot na naman sa Bureau of Customs, kahit pa ang mga maysala sa naunang 6.4-bilyong shabu smuggling noong nakaraang taon ay hindi pa napaparusahan. Hulihin ang mga big-time smugglers ng iligal na droga.
Nakakapagtaka na ang Pangulo ay tumakbo at nanalo sa pangakong puksain ang droga sa loob ng tatlo hanggang anim na buwan. Ngayon, nagsasabi siyang sumusuko na siya at gustong magbitiw, pero gustong ipasa ang pagkapangulo sa anak ng diktador.
Kahirapan, gutom, at kawalan ng panlipunang katarungan ang siya pa ring araw-araw na suliranin na kinakaharap ng mga Pilipino, sa pagtaas ng presyo ng mga bilihin at ang lumalalang endo sa trabaho. Tungkulin ng mga pinuno ng ating bansa na tutukang maibsan, kundi pa maalis, ang kahirapan ng mga mamamayan.