3 witnesses to Kian slay placed under Senate’s protective custody

The custody of the three witnesses to the killing of 17-year-old Kian Loyd Delos Santos was turned over to the Senate public order committee on Thursday. The Senate panel chaired by Senator Panfilo Lacson was supposed to hold an executive session to hear the statements of the witnesses, two of whom are minors, 13 and 16. The other is 31 years old. The executive session did not push through, Senator Risa Hontiveros told reporters, as Lacson requested that an authorization letter be secured first from the 13-year-old’s mother working in Oman. “Minabuti ni Senator Lacson na bago sila idinig sa executive session ay makuha yung sulat na authorization ng nanay ng pinakabatang saksi dahil yung mama niya ay overseas Filipino worker na nagta-trabaho sa Oman,” Hontiveros said. “Yung tatlong saksi ay nandito sila sa premises ng Senado hanggang madinig sila in executive session,” she said. The Senate panel is set to conduct its next hearing Tuesday next week, said Hontiveros. Hontiveros added that the 13-year-old's mother is also the guardian of the 16-year-old. Hontiveros said the two minors are cousins. The senator belied reports that the mother claimed she was not consulted when her office took custody of the two minors. Hontiveros showed reporters the exchange of text messages between the mother and her staff as of Wednesday night. “Those children sought refuge voluntarily from Senator Hontiveros...We gave them refuge because of their voluntarily request,” lawyer Christia Girao of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) said. “We believe that we should give them an environment where they can freely express themselves without being subjected to scrutiny,” she said.