De Lima deplores brutal killing of 52-year-old by a cop

Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has condemned the brutal killing of a 52-year-old woman by a "drunk" policeman in a store in Quezon City last May 31.

De Lima, a staunch human rights defender, said the gruesome death of 52-year-old Lilybeth Valdez under the hands of Police Master Sergeant Hensie Zinampan should remind Mr. Duterte that his blatant encouragement of killings, especially by authorities, put the Filipino people's lives in great danger.

"This is murder in one of its worst forms, done by no less than someone who is expected to enforce the law and protect the Filipinos. Ang lakas pa ng loob na i-deny ng pulis na ito ang pagpatay sa isang inang walang kalaban-laban, eh kitang-kita sa nakuhang video ang karumal-dumal at kalunos-lunos na krimeng ginawa niya. Appalling and unacceptable!" she said.

"Ilang inosenteng buhay pa ba ang patuloy na masasayang bago itigil ni Duterte ang pag-udyok at pagkunsinte sa mga karahasan at pagpatay, na nagpapalakas ng loob sa mga mamamatay-tao at mapang-abusong pulis na lalong umabuso at pumatay nang walang pakundangan?" she added.

According to the family, Zinampan, who appeared to be drunk, pulled Lilybeth Valdez's hair and shot her in the neck, killing her instantly. The now viral video of the said killing, captured by the victim's grandson, confirms the family's account of the incident. Zinampan denied the shooting.

The incident reportedly comes a month after Valdez's son figured in a fistfight with the cop last May 1. Since then, Zinampan purportedly started to threaten their family.

Zinampan was arrested and turned over to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit of the Quezon City Police District last June 1 as PNP Chief Police General Guillermo Eleazar ordered the filing of a murder complaint and an administrative case against him.

Aside from expressing their outrage over the recent killings in the country, De Lima stressed that the public should never tire in demanding accountability for all the injustices and abuses happening in the country.

"As we deplore the killing of Lilybeth and all the other victims of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) under this murderous Duterte regime, we must stand up and protect human rights and dignity in our nation, now more than ever," she added.

On June 1, the hashtag #PulisAngTerorista topped Philippine Twitter trends, with netizens blasting the police for sowing "terror" in communities.