PNP Chief Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa. (NOY MORCOSO III/INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO)
MANILA — “We are not Madame Auring.”
This was what Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa said after former President Fidel Ramos criticized him for being out of the country when the clashes in Marawi began last week.
Dela Rosa said on Tuesday President Duterte’s party, which the PNP chief joined, would not have proceeded with the trip to Russia if they knew that members of the Maute group and the Abu Sayyaf were going to try take over Marawi.
“If we knew this would happen, we would not have gone (to Russia). That is why we came home immediately,” Dela Rosa said.
“We are not Madame Auring who can predict what’s in the mind of the enemy. We are not Madame Auring,” he said, referring to the famous fortune teller.
Ramos had scored the presence of many government officials in the President’s trip to Russia, which he labeled as a “junket”.
“In the first place, some people should have stayed behind to take care of the situation with the President,” Ramos said.
“The Executive Secretary and so many secretaries and so any generals (joined) the junket. Pardon me for calling it a junket because it now turns out that it was a junket,” he added.
The former President also questioned in particular Dela Rosa’s inclusion in Mr. Duterte’s entourage to Russia.
“We were there for only one day. We returned home immediately,” Dela Rosa said in defense.
The Palace also dismissed Ramos’ claim, saying that it was important that key members of Mr. Duterte’s administration joined him in the trip.
“The official visit of President Duterte to Moscow was an important and strategic move that significantly broadened the horizon of our independent foreign policy,” presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said.
“(Mr. Duterte’s) leadership style is considered deliberate, even ‘fearless,’ in the words of (Chinese) President Xi Jinping; it is also very relational, which can be misconstrued by managerial types like FVR,” he added. SFM