It’s all President Duterte’s fault that a South Korean businessman was kidnapped and strangled inside the Philippine National Police headquarters, that policemen involved hid the grisly crime while asking for ransom from his wife, and that the victim’s own golf clubs were used to pay for his cremation.
That’s because of a climate of impunity created by the President when he gave policemen orders to wage a bloody campaign against illegal drugs, according to Sen. Leila de Lima and party-list representatives.
The killing of Jee Ick-joo by policemen has prompted calls from lawmakers for PNP Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa to resign.
But Mr. Duterte has refused to let go of Dela Rosa.
In a speech during the induction of the Negros United Coalition officers on Sunday in Bacolod City, the feisty senator said Jee was a victim of a “tokhang-for-ransom” operation by policemen assigned to the PNP Anti-Illegal Drugs Group.
The Korean was abducted by the police from his house in Angeles City and was killed in Camp Crame in October last year, while his wife paid a
P5-million ransom, not knowing that he was already dead, investigation reports showed.
“That, to me, is damning proof that it is the police that is behind these death squads,” said De Lima, who has accused Mr. Duterte of involvement in extrajudicial killings of criminals since he was mayor of Davao City.
“If you give license to the police to be undertaking those summary executions, then you are also giving them license to do more abuses,” she said.
“The tokhang-for-ransom issue is an example of how evil elements are operating in the guise of our law enforcers. It is a display of how the blanket license to kill given by the President is not just ineffective in addressing the illegal drugs problem, but worse, one that creates a moral vacuum that allows graver crimes to be committed,” she said.
