Kian Delos Santos Case Witness' Mother Complains vs Sen Hontiveros,” Di Siya Nagpaaalam Sa Akin” (Video)

A mother of a supposed witness of the Kian Delos Santos case is now complaining against Senator Risa Hontiveros. This is after the camp of Liberal Party (LP) ally senator took the witnesss, who is a minor, from their home last Saturday, August 19, and placed under her custody without asking first the permission from the mother. Watch news video below.



"Ikinonsulta namin doon sa mga saksi at mga pamilya nila kung saan sila pinakapanatag ang loob na mananatiling ligtas… at ayon sa kanila, sa ngayon, ay mas panatag sila na manatili kung nasasaan sila," Sen. Hontiveros said in a press conference on Wednesday, referring to the 3 supposed witnesses in the killing. They are 13, 16 and 31 years old.

Kian Delos Santos was killed during the Oplan Galugad operation in Barangay 160, in Caloocan City last August 16. According to the self-claimed witnesees, police gave 17-year-old Grade 11 student a gun and told him to run for his life. A CCTV video showed two policemen dragging a man to a dark alley, near where the body of Kian was found.

During the Senate hearing on Wednesday led by Senator Panfilo 'Ping' Lacson, PO1 Jerwin Cruz, and PO1 Jeremias Pereda of Caloocan City Police admitted they were the ones seen on the video, but denied that it was Kian they were dragging. ‘Yun ‘yung aming asset. Alpha namin ‘yun. Hindi po namin kilala si Kian,” PO1 Cruz told Sen. Grace Poe.

But contrary to Sen.Hontiveros' claim that the family of the witnesses told her that they feel that the witnesses will be safer if they are under the custody of the senator's office, a mother of one of the witnesses said no one from the senador's camp asked permission from her. In fact, a family member requested that the witnesses be transferred to PAO.

Screenshot Credit: TV Patrol

"Actually, hindi ko alam eh, hindi tama. Yun po yung isang foul dun eh. Bago po nila kukunin yung anak ko, kunin muna nila yung permiso sa akin kung papayag ba ako na sa kanilang panig ko ibibigay. Unang-una yang Hontiveros na yan, di po. Hindi ko po sya nakakausap. Hindi man lang niya hinanap kung pano makokontak ang ina ng witness dahil minor po siya eh." The mother of a witness told ABS-CBN's TV Patrol, Thursday.



Meanwhile, Public Attorney's Office (PAO) chief Persida Acosta criticized Sen. Hontiveros for taking custody of the witnesses. According to her, it is the mandate of the PAO, the Philippine National Police (PNP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), has the mandate to protect them, and not the senator.

Contributed by Salvi Dalida