Speaking for the young victims of EJK

“Tama na po, may test pa ako bukas.”

These were the last words of 17-year-old Kian Loyd delos Santos.

Kian was a diligent student at Our Lady of Lourdes College in Valenzuela and it was his dream to become a police officer. But the very people he looked up to ended up crushing that dream.

It disappeared into oblivion on Aug. 16, when he was among those killed in an anti-drug operation by the Caloocan City police. His life was one of those claimed in the war against drugs. Kian was not the first victim, and he will not be the last. And he did not deserve this; no one did.

At the core of it all, the victims of extrajudicial killings were so much more than what they were accused of. They were children, students, and friends. They were people who had lives, dreams, hopes, and aspirations.

Article III, Section 1 of the 1987 Constitution states: “No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the laws.” Shouldn’t they have undergone due process before the law, and had a chance to speak for themselves?

We believe in speaking up for those who cannot do so.

We call on everyone, especially our fellow youth, to make themselves heard.

We stand for all victims of extrajudicial killings and their families.

We stand for justice. For human dignity. For the country.

CHELSEA GIANE BRITANICO, MARIA SOFIA JAVELOSA, JI EUN PARK, TAMILA LAUREN C. PENSON, MARIE THERESE RAVALO, KATRINA YSABEL RODRIGUEZ