Emotional Dela Rosa denies killings as policy in Senate hearing
Philippine National Police Director General Ronald Dela Rosa emotionally denied the allegation of Senator Risa Hontiveros in a Senate hearing of the Kian Delos Santos case there is a policy inside the PNP to kill all suspected drug personalities.
"I really felt alluded to what you said that there is a policy in the PNP that there is a widespread killing of drug suspects", Dela Rosa said in the hearing of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs.
Hontiveros earlier said the "killings of minors and young people are no longer isolated incidents" following the deaths of Delos Santos and 19-year-old Carl Angelo Arnaiz .
Delos Santos was killed on August 16 in a police anti crime operation in Caloocan City. Arnaiz who allegedly robbed a taxi driver was killed on August 18 as police claimed he shot it out with them.
"I don't also believe that some police just wanted to kill, there is a policy that dictates the cuture of killings that is happening in our country today", Hontiveros said.
"There is a system on the killing there is a method in the madness that is why our enemy is big not only two or three police officers but a widespread policy that allows the killings in the name of what is called the war on drugs", she added.
Hontiveros said she is asking for accountability on a person higher than the PNP chief regarding the "policy".
"Higher than me? You are referring to the president...He is not giving order to the people to conduct operations that is why I felt alluded to. Even if I died from where I am sitting right now, we do not have a policy of a widespread killing of the suspects", Dela Rosa told Hontiveros.
Hontiveros said according to Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) Chief Persida Acosta statement in a radio interview there is a "pattern" in the killing of Delos Santos and Arnaiz.
"I can quote because chief Acosta was quoted you told DZMM regarding the case of Carl, 'the point here is this is a life why is the pattern like there seems like a similarity to Kian", she said.
"These are almost simultaneous, it is only hours apart if you will count these two in fact Raymart Siapo ( a disabled teenager who was found dead in Navotas in April) was the first same as that, son of an OFW so the pattern needs to be cut", she added.
Acosta became emotional answering Hontiveros. Acosta said : " PAO has no pronouncement that there is a pattern here.I will repeat the government has no policy to kill".
She said there is a similarity in the case of Delos Santos and Arnaiz stating the two are teenagers, their mothers are OFW and their families have small stores infront of their houses but she said there are no pattern.
Dela Rosa said the hearing is being mixed with political intentions.
"Obviously...why are they forcing to condition the mind of the people just because they are the one talking there they are conditioning the mindset of the people that there is a widespread policy by the government to kill", Dela Rosa told reporters after the senate hearing. Alanna Ambi/DMS
