MANILA – (UPDATE 11:15 P.M) Days after meeting the parents of schoolboy Kian delos Santos, whose death at the hands of Caloocan police has sparked a firestorm of protest, President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday (Sept. 6) met the parents of another student also killed by Caloocan cops who claimed he shot at them while being arrested for robbing a taxi driver.
Duterte saw the parents of former University of the Philippines student Carl Angelo Arnaiz, who are being assisted by the office of Chief Public Attorney Persida Rueda-Acosta, before proceeding to a speaking engagement at the Social Security System anniversary commemoration.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre said Duterte promised Carlito and Eva Arnaiz an impartial investigation but stopped short of elaborating further.
Joining Aguirre II – who has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to spearhead the investigation – were PAO Chief Acosta and Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence Go.
In a Palace briefing Tuesday, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella assured that there will be no whitewash and that those who will be found responsible would be made accountable after “a thorough and impartial investigation.”
The President has said that he would only defend security forces if their actions were done in the performance of duty, stressing that he would never allow his troops to kill defenseless persons, including enemies of the state.
“I ordered the Secretary of Justice to take over the investigation of the case,” he said. (With additional reporting from Philippine News Agency)
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