MANILA - Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Ronald dela Rosa said Grade 11 student Kian Loyd Delos Santos served as a drug courier for his own father and some of his uncles, based on information from the chief of the Caloocan City police.

Dela Rosa added that information from the intelligence community said Delos Santos' father, Saldy, is known to be a neighborhood toughie, the reason why some of the residents in their barangay were afraid to speak against them.

"Si Kian ay ginagamit ng kanyang ama. Ang ama niya mismo ang user, mga uncle ang mga pusher diyan at ginagamit si Kian na courier. Kaya nag-surface ang pangalan niya sa area mismo," the PNP chief told ABS-CBN News in a phone interview.

"Pati ang intelligence community natin na nagko-conduct ng operation plan sa Caloocan mismo, ang mga kapitbahay doon takot mismo na magsalita ng against sa kanila dahil kilalang siga ang ama pati mga uncle niyan, siga sa lugar. Yan ang nasasagap ng ating mga intel operatives diyan sa area," he added.

Dela Rosa admitted he was disappointed by the results of the police operation, especially the death of the teen suspect. But he said the operation itself was legitimate because there was basis for allegations that Delos Santos was a source of illegal drugs.

"Dismayed ako sa outcome ng operation, bakit napatay ang bata, pero hindi ako dismayed sa operation itself dahil meron naman talagang basehan ang operation na itinuturo talaga si Kian ay source ng droga doon sa area," he said.

The PNP chief said that the slain teenager was just a victim of his own father and that the young man would have had a chance to change his life if he had lived.

"Biktima lang ang bata at ginagamit ng ama. Bigyan siya ng pagkakataon na magbagong-buhay at matuto na mali ang ginagawa niya. Sumusunod siya sa utos ng kanyang pusher na ama. Bata pa, magbago pa yan," he said.

He said he already ordered the the PNP-Internal Affairs Service (PNP-IAS) to immediately investigate the matter, saying he does not want an isolated case to diminish the PNP's accomplishments.

Dela Rosa has already ordered the relief of the city's police chief, Sr. Supt. Chito Bersaluna, and three other Caloocan cops involved in the operation that resulted in Delos Santos' death.

"I want to reiterate I do not tolerate abuses from my personnel, from my men. So much so that our internal cleansing program having breakthrough, na masisira naman dito kung talagang ma-establish na may pang-aabusong ginawa ang pulis Caloocan," he said.