Dela Rosa says he will pursue scalawag cops even after retirement
hilippine National Police (PNP) Director General Ronald Dela Rosa warned he will hunt down scalawag cops even as "a vigilante" after his retirement in January 2018.
“I am not afraid of them (scalawag policemen), if they say that I am a coward because my retirement is near… I will not back down, even up to the last second of my active days in the service I will not give them an inch to rule in the PNP,” said Dela Rosa.
“I cannot be charged by Internal Affairs Service (IAS) just in case I become frustrated. If I am retired and I see that this scalawag policemen, narco cops and ninja cops are returning and ruling again, well as a citizen of the republic I have my desire to clean our community. So I may become a vigilante if I become frustrated,” he said.
“If the point comes that nothing can be done, and the drug lords will rule in the Philippines. They are the ones who control and there is no law and order-- it's hypothetical-- if that point comes as a Filipino will you just let it? No I will be a vigilante, I will fight them if they intend to rule, a very very extreme situation next to impossibility,” he added.
Amid the recent statement of President Rodrigo Duterte to return the anti-illegal drug war to PNP, Dela Rosa stressed the PNP are ready if they will again be tasked to lead the anti-illegal drug operations.
“We are already prepared.... We have to observe police operational procedures and it includes how to defend ourselves. If there are violations, abuse we will not deny it, the Caloocan experience we will see to it that it will not happen again,” he said.
Dela Rosa said they will also be taking measures to prevent human rights violations in their anti-illegal drug operations.
“The Caloocan experience alone (shows) a lot of lessons to be learned. So in order to correct this and to prevent this from happening if we were tasked to return on war on drugs I am requesting all local government units to procure body cameras,” he said.
“It will be issued to all the anti-drug units so that we will not allow them operating without the cameras for us to become transparent, we will make sure that all of their operations are recorded,” he added.
Dela Rosa also welcomes the cooperation of human rights groups who want to join police operations.
"That is much better so we can help each other in monitoring to ensure that the violation of our personnel will not be repeated, let us help each other," he said.
It can be recalled the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) relieved the Caloocan police force following reported human rights violations during anti-illegal drug operations. Robina Asido/DMS
