Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa (Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa on Tuesday compared Filipino and American police officers’ handling of stress and concluded that members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) are “strong” when facing stressors.
During Tuesday’s hearing of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, chaired by dela Rosa, the issue of police retirees with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was discussed.
“Sa Amerika, ang pulis doon, makabaril lang ng aso, mag-a-undergo na agad ng PTSD, post-traumatic stress debriefing. Kahina na mga pulis na ito. Aso lang ang binaril, ang haba ng proseso para maka-recover sila sa post-traumatic stress,” he said.
(In the US, a police officer undergoes post-traumatic stress debriefing even if they just shot a dog. They are weak. They just gunned a dog but the process to recover from it is long.)
“Samantalang kami sa Pilipinas, dosyentos na NPA (New People’s Army) na ang ginera namin. Afterwards, kahit isang coke wala man lang pinapainom sa’min ang gobyerno namin,” he added.
(Here in the Philippines, go to war against hundreds of communist rebels, and yet the government cannot even offer us a can of soda.)
Dela Rosa, former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, said that if he was an American, he may have become a mass shooter as a result of his experiences in battling in wars.
“Ako, ‘yung dinaanan ko na mga gera, kung ako’y Amerikano lang, siguro matagal na ‘kong… mass killing, mass shooting, baka matagal na kong gumanun,” he said.
(With the wars I went through, if I’m an American, I may have carried out mass shootings long ago.)
“Pero sa awa ng Diyos, senador pa ako ngayon. Ganu’n ang Pilipino katibay pagdating sa stress,” he continued.
(But with God’s grace, I even became a senator. That is how strong Filipinos are when it comes to dealing with stress.)
“Kahit na anong stress ibigay mo, didiskarte at didiskarte ang pulis na ‘yan. Marunong sa buhay dahil sa sitwasyon,” said dela Rosa.
(Whatever stress they encounter, the police will always find ways to overcome it. They know how to face life.)
A police officer normally undergoes a psychiatric and psychological examination, administered by the PNP Health Service’s Department of Psychiatry on three occasions: during application, when the police officer is up for promotion, and when he or she is about to undergo mandatory schooling.