Prospective PNP chief does a Duterte, says drug lords will be killed

Chief Superintendent Ronald dela Rosa. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO/JULLIANE LOVE DE JESUS

Sounding like the tough-talking Rodrigo Duterte, a police official touted to be the next Philippine National Police chief vowed to implement by all means the marching order of the presumptive president-elect to eradicate illegal drugs within three to six months.

Uttering curses during the interview, Chief Superintendent Ronald dela Rosa threatened drug suspects and drug lords that he will not hesitate to have them killed if they would not stop engaging in the illegal activity.

“Ang focus, patayan sa drugs. Patayan talaga ito sa drugs kaya kayong mga drug lord d’yan humanda na kayo talagang sasagasaan ko kayo,” dela Rosa said in an interview at Camp Crame.

(The focus will be killing those involved in drugs. There will be deaths in illegal drug trade. So the drug lords out there, watch out, because I am going after you.)

READ: Duterte to use death penalty, militias in war vs drugs, major crimes

It may sound impossible for many to eradicate drugs in less than a year but Dela Rosa, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1986, said he will do everything he can to accomplish it.

“Kakayanin natin. Hindi naman pwede p*** PNP chief ka tapos hindi mo kakayanin. Eh dapat kayanin mo. After 3 to 6 months kung hindi kaya, eh di surrender,” he said.

(We will do it. You cannot be the damn PNP chief and not be able to do it. You should be able to do it. After 3 to 6 months and you are not able to do it, just surrender.)

Dela Rosa declined to confirm whether Duterte had already chosen him for the top PNP post but he said the Davao City Mayor met with him and Chief Supt. Ramon Apolinario, Mimaropa Police officer-in-charge and Senior Supt. Rene Aspera, the chief of staff of the PNP-Anti-Kidnapping Group over the weekend.

READ: Duterte enumerates choices for agency heads, PNP

All three police officials formerly served as Davao City Police chief.

He did not give further details about what he and Duterte discussed but he said: “Ang marching order sa akin is ‘forward march.’ Ibig sabihin, walang atrasan o abante. Sagasaan tapos walang atrasan, walang to the rear march kung hindi forward march dapat ‘yan. Sagasaan ang dapat sagasan,” he said.
(The marching order to me is “forward march,” which means I cannot look back and do a rear march. I must go after whom I must go after.)

Before he was assigned as executive officer of the Directorate for Human Resource and Doctrine Development, Dela Rosa was the brigade commander of the Reactionary Standby Support Force (RSSF) but was relieved of his post after allegedly expressing support for Duterte in a Facebook post. IDL

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