MANILA, Philippines – A day after the Senate hearing on the killing of teenager Kian delos Santos, Malacañang reminded cops to follow procedure when implementing the Duterte government’s drug war.

“The President has clearly stated that the war against drugs is not a license to break the law,” said Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella on Friday, August 25, in a statement.

“We hope this serves as a reminder to the PNP (Philippine National Police) personnel to follow the established PNP policies and operational procedures,” he added.

These remarks from the Palace come amid public outrage over revelations from the Senate hearing about the circumstances of Delos Santos’ death.

Caloocan police involved in the operation where Delos Santos was killed admitted they “confirmed” he was involved in drugs only after the operation and based on social media posts.

CCTV footage, supposedly of Delos Santos and policemen, also belied police claims that the teenager fought back, justifying their use of deadly force on him.

Malacañang, on Friday, reminded cops to adhere to “the rule of law and due process.”

Abella also said that Delos Santos’ death serves as a “wake-up call” of the need to “reform government institutions, even law enforcement agencies.”

President Rodrigo Duterte has himself condemned Delos Santos’ death and vowed that, if an investigation proves policemen violated the law, they will “rot in jail.”

Duterte’s and Malacañang’s statements on the incident are markedly different from other supposed cases of extrajudicial killings.

Previously, they dismissed summary killings as the work of criminals or stuck to police claims that the suspect “fought back”. – Rappler.com