Retirement in January: PNP chief awaits awaits ‘hardest job’

Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Ronald dela Rosa INQUIRER PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

The “hardest job” where “everyone failed.”

That’s where Philippine National Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa is going next after his retirement in January.

Dela Rosa faced reporters on Tuesday and dropped hints about where President Rodrigo Duterte planned to put him next.

“It is a very difficult job. [It’s] the most challenging job in government,” he said, adding that everyone who had been tapped to handle that job had failed and had been sacked by Mr. Duterte.

“Imagine the hardest job. It is very difficult,” Dela Rosa said.

Mr. Duterte has long informed him about it, he added.

He quoted Mr. Duterte as telling him, “Everyone failed in that agency but I hope for you to succeed.”

The PNP chief said he assured Mr. Duterte: “Yes, sir. I am at your disposal.”

When reporters prodded him to identify the job, Dela Rosa said: “Let us wait for it. We have a saying in the PNP: You do not assume and presume unless you have assumed office.”

Dela Rosa described his stint as PNP chief as an “Anchors Away” ride, with extreme ups and downs and worse than a roller coaster.

As for his legacy, he said he was somehow able to bring back the PNP closer to the people by always being on the ground.

Dela Rosa said he was able to lead by example and show the way for police to interact with the public more and win its trust.

“That, I would consider my biggest accomplishment,” he said.

For his remaining time in the PNP, Dela Rosa said he would like to see more drug suspects arrested and a vast reduction in drugs in the country.

“We should be able to recover all the illegal drugs smuggled into the country… Give the maximum dent that we can give to the drug problem in the Philippines,” he said.