The Philippine National Police (PNP) won’t go easy on its drug operations anytime soon, Dir. Gen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa said on Friday.
“Despite our victories in the past year, we are certainly not slowing down in the war on drugs,” he said in his speech at the National Capital Regional Office’s 116th anniversary at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.
“We are fighting a formidable enemy, ayaw paawat ng mga drug lords, patuloy pagpasok ng illegal na droga sa ating bansa (the drug lords cannot be contained and illegal drugs continue to enter the country),” he added.
Dela Rosa said they continue to arrest drug personalities including some policemen who were also allegedly involved in the drug trade and other crimes.
“Huwag natin patagalin ang ganitong sitwasyon, isulong natin ng buong tapang at lakas ang ating laban kontra sa droga at iba pang krimen (Let’s not prolong this situation. We should courageously and determinedly proceed with our war on drugs and other crimes),” he said.
Police officials involved in drugs and other crimes will also face the full force of the law.
Dela Rosa’s statement comes amid the spike of deaths from police operations this week, with 58 recorded in a span of three days.
While the drug killings earned them praises from President Rodrigo Duterte, the PNP chief clarified that there were no new instructions from the President on their drug operations.
“Ang instruction ni Pangulo very clear, continue war on drugs. Walang specific instruction na pumatay kayo nang marami. Ako rin walang instruction na mas maraming mamamatay mas masaya ako (The President’s instruction is very clear: continue the war on drugs. There was no specific instruction for the police to kill in droves. Even I did not say that I will be happier if more were be killed),” he said.
“Sabi ni Presidente our war on drugs is unrelenting so tuluy-tuloy, walang puknat, walang hinto. We don’t care sino ang mamamatay, mayaman or mahirap basta involved sa droga, ‘di ka namin sasantuhin (The President said our war on drugs is unrelenting, continues, unstoppable. We don’t care who will be killed—poor or rich—as long as you are involved in drugs, we won’t spare you). There will be no sacred cows,” Dela Rosa said. IDL