Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa presides during the inquiry of the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023, into the allegedly inhumane and irregular acts carried out by police officers and unknown individuals against Mayor Samson Dumanjug of Bonifacio, Misamis Occidental last June. (Photo from the Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines — “No political unrest is too small to go unnoticed. Nothing is too local to be considered insignificant,” Sen. Ronald dela Rosa said on Wednesday.
He was explaining why he filed Senate Resolution No. 698, which directs the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs to conduct an inquiry into the alleged inhumane and violent treatment by several police officers and unknown individuals of suspended Mayor Samson Dumanjung of Bonifacio, Misamis Occidental.
“Many are asking why a hearing is needed for this issue. I just want to explain: I filed SR No. 698 because, even if Misamis Occidental is just one province in the entire Philippines, no political unrest is too small to go unnoticed,” said Dela Rosa during Wednesday’s hearing.
“The Senate is national in scope, and because we know full well that what occurs in one locality may very well also become a problem in others. We refuse to dismiss and undermine this as simply a local concern. For me, and for this Senate, nothing is too local to be considered insignificant.”
According to the resolution, Dumanjug wrote a letter to Dela Rosa asking for help. He said unknown police officers “forcibly ejected” him from his office on June 16, 2023.
Dumanjug said they broke the windows of his office, aimed high-powered firearms at him, forced him to sit in a wheelchair where he tied around his hands and feet, and wrapped his head with a malong.
Following a two-day hearing, Dela Rosa said his committee was able to “uncover gaps” in the policies of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Following are some of the recommendations that his committee will offer:
- revisit the protocol of the PNP, including its procedures for making arrests
- instruct the DILG to be more proactive in exercising the presidential power of general supervision over local governments
- urge the DILG, in consultation with the local governments, to come up with guidelines for the proper and peaceful implementation of orders and decisions of their local councils.
Dela Rosa vowed to study the testimonies of those who attended the hearing so that his committee could draft a report that “reflects the truth” and be able to come up with sound recommendations.