PNP Chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Vice President Leni Robredo. INQUIRER AND AP FILE PHOTOS
“She’s the Vice President so her data must be accurate,” Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said of Vice President Leni Robredo as he contradicted her claim that the 7,000 killings in the country are because of the government’s drug war.
Ironically, Robredo’s camp earlier lamented that they had asked data on the drug killings from the offices of Dela Rosa and Interior Secretary Ismael “Mike” Sueno but both did not respond to her request.
Both Dela Rosa and Sueno denied seeing the letter. But in a previous press conference, Robredo’s representatives showed the letter sent to the two officials last January 24. It had “Received” stamps from the PNP and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) dated January 30.
Dela Rosa said he wanted to correct Robredo and the media for “sensationalizing and misinterpreting” the 7,000 killings as drug-related.
READ: Bato slams media for ‘sensationalizing, misinterpreting’ killings
“Hindi po kami naninira sa kanya. Mataas ‘yung respeto namin sa kanya bilang Vice President pero gusto naming ma-correct sinabi niya. Para rin naman sa kanya ‘yan. She’s the vice president so kailangan tama ‘yung lalabas na data galing sa kanya,” Dela Rosa said in a press conference at Camp Crame on Monday.
(We’re not ruining her reputation. We have high respect for her as Vice President but we want to correct what she said. It’s also for her. She’s the Vice President so the data she releases should be correct.)
“Hopefully that report will arrive to her positively. How I wish she should take it positively,” he said.
Robredo, in a recent video message addressed to the international delegates in a United Nations-sponsored forum, expressed her opposition to President Duterte’s brutal drug war, which she said had led to the 7,000 summary killings in the country.
Dela Rosa reiterated that only 2,615 of the 7,000 deaths were related to drugs.
“Gusto kasi ng ibang sector [at] media na palabasin na state-sponsored ‘yung killing na ‘yan when in fact we deny to the highest possible term ’yon. Ako mismo hindi ko masikmura na ako mag-utos na patayin ‘yang tao na ‘yan. Hindi ko gagawin ‘yan,” Dela Rosa said.
(Other sectors and the media want to make it seem like those killings are state-sponsored when in fact we deny it to the highest possible term. I myself can’t stomach ordering people to be killed. I don’t do that.)
He also brought up the possibility that drug lords might be behind the misreporting on the drug war statistics to destroy the credibility of the PNP and the President.
“Gusto nilang masira ang war on drugs kasi gusto nilang masira ‘yung face ng Duterte administration… Hindi naman pala related sa drug war pero pilit ina-attribute,” he said.
(They want to destroy the war on drugs because they want to destroy the image of Duterte’s administration… It’s not related to the drug war but they’re attributing it to that.) JE/rga