Image from Sen. Ping Lacson’s Facebook page - Solon downplayed Duterte and Dela Rosa’s shoot-on-sight order
- He said such an order is illegal, would constitute murder and a violation of the law
- He said the order was issued out of bravado and as a scare tactic
MANILA, Philippines – Airing his thoughts on President Rodrigo Duterte and PNP Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa’s shoot-on-sight orders against suspected drug pushers, Sen. Panfilo Lacson downplayed it as bravado and said no such order exists.
“There’s no such thing. That was just bravado in the statement, because as a law enforcement officer, General Dela Rosa knows there’s no such thing as a ‘shoot-on-sight’ or ‘shoot-to-kill’”, he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Lacson, who also headed the PNP, said such an order was illegal because it would allow policemen to kill someone on sight and not because they were defending themselves.
“If they do that, then that would clearly be murder. Because shoot on sight means just because you suspect someone or the President declared that someone is a drug lord and you will kill him. That’s a violation of the law,” he said.
The senator pointed out that under the law, a policeman— or anyone for that matter —can kill only in the act of self-defense.
“If the life of the law enforcement officer or any citizen for that matter is in danger, then self-defense can be used to justify why you killed someone to avoid being killed yourself,” he said.
Lacson added he knows that Dela Rosa also knows that it can’t be done and may just be using it as a scare tactic.
“Whatever is the motive, whatever is the reason he said that, that’s for him to say. But he knows that he can’t do that, that that can’t be done by any police officer,” he said.
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