One thing I deeply despise and struggle to forgive is when people in positions of power abuse their authority or manipulate the law to oppress the defenseless and most disadvantaged.

Take, for example, a child or minor who becomes a victim of rogue cops chasing quotas for promised rewards or promotions.

Another infuriating case is when blind followers of a corrupt, silver-tongued political figure perpetuate injustice by tarnishing the memory of a long-dead child just to shield their idol.

And then there’s what this Filipino Facebook user did—his comment on my post from February 2023, over two years ago, claiming that Kian Delos Santos, a teenage victim of an extrajudicial killing (EJK) during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs, was a drug pusher.

This user, replying to a comment I made two years prior, wrote, “Vincenton, because Kian is a drug pusher…”

That was his response to my earlier statement: “Is it because Kian Delos Santos supported Duterte and was killed by criminals in uniform enforcing Duterte’s war on drugs despite being innocent, or because you’re a Duterte supporter?”

The man’s defamatory claim against a 17-year-old EJK victim, murdered by rogue and criminal cops, was so vile and repulsive it made my blood boil.

What makes it worse is that this came from a supposedly educated man—his Facebook profile suggests he’s an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) living in the UAE.

I checked his profile to understand his perspective; he describes himself as a “smart ass” and “sarcastic ass.” More likely, he’s just a devout Duterte fanatic.

That prompted my first response in two years on that post.

Here’s what I wrote to this Duterte supporter: “Ric Hard, are you sure about that, sir? Where’s your proof that he was a drug pusher? Do you know what the rogue cop who murdered Kian Delos Santos said when then-Senator Pacquiao asked him what made him believe Kian was involved in drugs? Tarnishing the memory of one of Duterte’s child victims just to defend your political idol is evil. By the way, I just took a screenshot of your comment.”

His reply? Silence.

I asked Ric Hard what the rogue cop said during the Senate hearing because I’m familiar with this case.

To back up his accusation against the long-dead 17-year-old, he also linked to a 2017 Facebook news report about an alleged drug suspect who supposedly implicated Kian as a “drug runner or pusher” in their community.

That clip is now being circulated online by Duterte supporters—often called DDS—to defend their idol.

But context matters: this news clip emerged at the peak of “Oplan Tokhang” and extrajudicial killings, when Duterte was urging cops to kill, assuring them, “I have your backs!”

That speech, for instance, was delivered just days before Kian’s murder on August 16, 2017. Back then, the officers responsible for Kian’s death appeared proud and emboldened in that 2017 clip—no CCTV footage or witnesses had yet exposed their crime.

But what became of this police commander?

In 2017, Chief Superintendent Roberto Fajardo was placed on administrative relief following the killing of Kian Loyd Delos Santos, a move prompted by public outrage and a Senate probe into the incident under his watch as Northern Police District director.

Yet, later that year, he returned to active duty under PNP Chief Director General Oscar Albayalde, who himself is now a key figure in the ongoing International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into the Duterte administration’s drug war.

Like many rogue officers loyal to former President Rodrigo Duterte, Fajardo’s legacy risks being reduced to that of a “Tokhang cop”—a symbol of the brutal and controversial anti-drug campaign.

Now, about my reference to then-Senator Pacquiao and the criminal cops: during a 2017 Senate hearing, these murderous officers were confronted with CCTV footage capturing the moments before they killed Kian.

Unlike their earlier arrogant statements to the media—likely to flaunt their “achievement”—their demeanor shifted dramatically under oath.

When Pacquiao asked one of Kian’s killers for their basis or proof that Kian was involved in drugs, they didn’t mention the drug suspect who allegedly implicated him. Instead, the cop claimed their evidence came from… social media posts.

Yes, based solely on social media—assuming they weren’t lying—they killed an innocent teenager.

But even if Kian had been a drug pusher, why execute him?

Why didn’t these criminal cops grant him the same due process now being afforded to their principal and instigator, Rodrigo Duterte? This is the question every sane and sensible Filipino is asking.