PNP Chief Ronald De La Rosa. EDWIN BACASMAS/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald Dela Rosa took a swipe at the critics of the administration’s war on drugs and called them “ingrates.”
“You can criticize us to high heavens. ‘Yung mga critics, sabihan ko kayo, ingrato kayo (To the critics, I tell you, you are ingrates),” he told reporters Tuesday at the sidelines of the MOA signing between the PNP and LRTA.
The PNP chief said that even the critics have something to gain from the anti-illegal drugs campaign.
“Alam ko nakikinabang kayo sa war on drugs, pero prangka lang, ingrato kayo. You can criticize us walang problema. Nakikinabang din kayo sa peace and order na tinatamasa niyo,” he said.
(I know that you are benefiting from the war on drugs, but frankly, you are ingrates. There is no problem if you criticize us. But you are benefiting from the peace and order.)
Dela Rosa said he was referring to all critics of the drug campaign and was not pointing to anyone in particular.
“No specific person. Basta kung kini-criticize niyo kami tanggap namin ‘yan. Tanggap namin kayo. Ako naman bubwelta at bubwelta rin kami sa inyo,” he said.
(No specific person. We take your criticisms. We accept you. But I will get back at you.)
Data from PNP said that police have conducted 70,854 anti-drug operations from July 1, 2016 to Aug. 29, 2017. There were 107,156 drug personalities arrested but 3,811 killed from the operations.
But the crackdown on drugs of President Rodrigo Duterte has also raised human rights concerns from local and international groups.
Recent opinion polls showed that majority of Filipinos don’t believe the police’s tales that those killed in operations resisted arrest and that three in five Filipinos believe that many of those who surrendered in the drug war still ended up dead. /idl
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