EJK, a way of stealing lives, not a policy under Lacson - camp
Filipinos will see an end to the culture of impunity like the dreadful extrajudicial killings (EJK) that occurred during the war on drugs if Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson is at the helm of the national leadership.
The Partido Reporma presidential aspirant gave this assurance on Thursday, Jan. 20 even as he made a commitment of cleaning the bureaucracy of thieves and make justice and fairness in law imperative for the oppressed and the aggrieved.
Lacson, who once headed the Philippine National Police, told an interview with Radyo Bombo, that he considers EJK a form of theft as well because those behind the killings robbed their victims of their precious lives.
He stressed that life stolen can no longer be given back.
“'Yung EJK isang uri rin ng pagnanakaw ‘yan, kasi ninanakawan mo ng buhay ‘yung (biktima) na labas doon sa tinatawag na rule of law, ano. ,” Lacson said.
Formerly the country’s top law enforcer, Lacson explained that acts of stealing are not just limited to the intent of taking material possessions or properties without the consent of their rightful owners, but also lives and opportunities for a better future, especially for the minors who have fallen victims to EJK and other crimes, including corruption.
He cited the case of 17-year-old Kian de los Santos, who was fatally shot by police officers in a drug raid that went south in Caloocan City back in August 2017, as well as other victims his age that were treated as collateral damage in the badly orchestrated Philippine drug war.
“Maraming pagnanakaw din na hindi lang materyal na bagay, kundi ‘yung kinabukasan pati ‘nung ating mga susunod na henerasyon; ninanakawan mo rin sila ng kanilang magandang kinabukasan. (One can steal so many things, not just material possessions, but also the future of those who belong to the next generation; you are stealing their future (when you kill them through extrajudicial means),” the veteran senator said.
Lacson is seeking the presidency in the upcoming 2022 national elections on the platform of good governance and the elimination of crime and corruption under the mantra “Aayusin ang Gobyerno, Uubusin ang Magnanakaw” (Fix the Government, Get Rid of the Thieves).
He said he would be using the leadership skills he acquired over the years, especially when he transformed the Philippine National Police (PNP) and exposed corrupt individuals during his 18-year stint at the Senate, to thwart the thieves thriving in our society.