Bato brings drug war scare tactics to Bilibid

Undersecretary Ronald Dela Rosa attends the flag raising ceremony as the new Director General of the Bureau of Corrections at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City. INQUIRER PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA

Former Philippine National Police chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa has brought his thug-style leadership to the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor).

On his first day on the job on Monday as BuCor chief, he threatened high-profile inmates who will not cooperate with him in eradicating illegal drugs in the agency.

“I am the boss here, not you. My rules, not yours will be followed here,” Dela Rosa told the drug lords incarcerated at Building 14 of the maximum security compound of the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa.

“Don’t think that just because you are rich, you have the money that you can threaten me. Never in your wildest imagination would that happen,” he added.

Dela Rosa, who was also given the rank of undersecretary because of the recent implementation of Republic Act No. 10575, or the BuCor Modernization Act of 2013, also gave a pep talk to his men.

“Are you afraid of drug lords? Are you afraid to get killed by drug lords?” he asked.

Dela Rosa assured his men that they can use their power and authority to fight. “Don’t be afraid of drug lords. I got your back,” he said.

“Why should you wait for them to kill you? If they’re threatening you, those jerks are easy to kill because they’re jailed,” he added.

Just a dramatic scare tactic

This is not the first time Dela Rosa threatened drug lords. During his first months as PNP chief in 2016, he urged drug users and pushers in Bacolod City to commit arson to kill the drug lords who were their suppliers.

“Go to their house, douse it with gasoline, and light it up. Show them your anger,” he said. “They’re all enjoying your money, from drugs that destroyed your brain. You know who the drug lords are. Would you like to kill them? Go ahead. Killing them is fine, because you are the victim.”

Dela Rosa later apologized for his remarks, saying he was only a “human who also gets bested by their emotions.”

Malacañang officials downplayed his remarks, saying it was “passionate” but just a “dramatic scare tactic.”

No place for chickens

Dela Rosa urged his men who are not brave enough to get out of BuCor now and resign.

“I abhor BuCor personnel who are chickens. How dare you wear that uniform if you can’t even fight one jerk who is incarcerated,” he said.

He stressed that he would be bringing the internal cleansing program of the PNP to BuCor to stop drug trafficking inside the Bilibid, which is reportedly brokered by corrupt BuCor personnel.

He said he expects that with the implementation of RA 10575, which raised the salaries of BuCor personnel and made equal to that of other uniformed personnel such as the PNP, corruption would be lessened if not removed completely.

“I will not promise you a bed of roses, but I assure you that I will do everything to give what we ought to be receiving,” he told BuCor personnel. /ee