Bato welcomes De Lima move to present witnesses to killings
Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa welcomes the move of Sen. Leila de Lima to present witnesses and families of extrajudicial killing victims at the Senate inquiry next week.
De la Rosa even thanked the senator, who chairs the committee on justice and human rights, for making an effort to bring witnesses whose accounts could prove that some policemen resorted to summary executions amid the government’s bloody war against drugs.
“Salamat, salamat, makakatulong sa amin ’yan to weed out scalawags sa PNP kung meron. Mas maganda para matulungan kami. We will not cover up for the misdeeds of our people,” De la Rosa said in an ambush interview at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.
READ: De Lima on killings: Witnesses can point to ‘scalawags’
He said some policemen involved in drugs kill their assets—the ones they ask to sell the illegal drugs they get from those seized during operations—to silence them.
“Meron talagang ganon na sinasabi nilang pinapatay ’yung asset nila na pinabebenta ng droga para mag-recycle ng shabu,” De la Rosa said.
Rookie cops warned
Speaking before the members of the National Capital Region Police Office, the tough-talking police chief also warned rookie cops to shape up and not emulate their superiors who engage in illegal drugs.
“Hindi man siguro ignorante kayo sa mga nangyayari. Ang dami nating kasamahan na involved sa illegal drugs at ito’y unacceptable. Hangga’t ako ang chief PNP, I will never tolerate that kind of misdemeanor,” De la Rosa said.
“Kaya kayo mga bata pa kayo, mga PO1 kayo, huwag nyo gawing idolo ‘yung mga senior ninyo na ngayon ay namamayagpag sa katatanggap ng pera sa droga ha. ’Yung mga patong sa sindikato, huwag niyo idolize ’yan,” De la Rosa said.
“Masama po ’yan kaya huwag niyo gawin. Hindi tayo nagserbisyo para yumaman, para tumanggap ng pera galing sa droga. Tayo ay nandito para ayusin ang problema natin sa droga. Kaya importante dyan huwag kayo magpasilaw sa pera,” he said./rga
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