MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) recently launched a children's book based on the story of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos.
Last month, Delos Santos was killed in an anti-drugs operation by personnel of the Philippine National Police.
The book titled "Si Kian" was written by prize-winning children's book author Weng Cahiles and illustrated by Aldy C. Aguirre.
The author and the illustrator worked with journalist Kimberly dela Cruz, who interviewed about 30 people and obtained documents from the police and the Public Attorney's Office for the book.
"Children’s books rarely deal with current events or with topics as dark as the killing of minors in the war on drugs. This project presented an opportunity to tell (or retell) Kian’s story in a new way, to audiences that may have been overwhelmed by—or inured to—the news," the PCIJ said.
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The book is part of the PCIJ Story Project which supports collaborations between artists and journalists, encouraging experiments in novel forms of telling stories in news.
Text and Illustrations of the book are posted on the PCIJ Story Project's Facebook page and Instagram account.
Those who are interested in acquiring print copies of "Si Kian" may email storyproject@pcij.org.
The Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs have started an inquiry into the killing of Delos Santos. The teenager was buried last Saturday, his death spawning public criticism and condemnation. — Patricia Lourdes Viray