Incoming Philippine National Police Chief Ronald De La Rosa . (RADYO INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
MANILA — He may talk tough about crushing crime but the incoming national police chief says he is not for vigilantism.
In a press briefing on Tuesday, Chief Supt. Ronald “Bato” De la Rosa, who has been appointed by President-elect Rodrigo Duterte as the next Philippine National Police director general, made clear his position against vigilantes when asked to react to the the human rights commission’s disapproval of bounties for criminals.
De la Rosa indicated he understood the concerns of the Commission on Human Rights and pledged his leadership would make sure that the bounty system would not be abused and corrupted by managing the anti-crime campaign properly.
“If what they’re afraid of is that [the bounty system] will get abused, if they’re afraid that it will cause massive vigilantism throughout the country, all the more we [the police] are afraid of that. We, the police, are really against that, because [we] are maintaining peace and order. If the situation gets that disorderly, it’s all for nothing. The police will be useless,” De la Rosa pointed out, in Filipino, speaking to the media at the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon city.
“If that’s their apprehension, it’s the same with us. We don’t want that. It needs to be managed properly so it won’t get that bad,” the De la Rosa said.
Last month, controversy over the bounty system broke out when the Cebu city mayor offered monetary rewards to law enforcers or civilians who could kill or injure criminals. The Commission on Human Rights in Central Visayas expressed alarm over the pronouncement, fearing it might trigger human rights abuses and extrajudicial killings.
No less than Duterte, who handpicked De la Rosa as the next PNP chief, have also announced bounties for the capture and even killing of drug lords.
Although apparently sharing the human rights commission’s apprehension on vigilantism, De la Rosa was quick to defend Duterte’s bounty offer as “pronouncement lang naman [just a pronouncement].”
“If [the CHR] took note of that…I hope they just take note instead of the pronouncement of those demonic drug lords of a P1 billion [bounty] on [our] heads. I wish they’d go instead to the [New Bilibid Prison] and scare them with human rights cases,” De la Rosa said.
“All the Mayor [Duterte] is after is what is good for all. Whatever happens, all he really wants is just for us to succeed in our anti-drugs and anti-criminality campaign. Meanwhile, those drug lords who are in jail, their only objective is selfish: to get rich and to destroy our country. So whom should you favor? Those drug lords or this incoming President who just wants the problem to end?” De la Rosa said.
“When that scourge is gone, all of us will benefit. So let’s all cooperate,” De la Rosa said.
De la Rosa, however, reminded his future subordinates that they should go after criminals “with or without the money [rewards].” SFM/rga