Bato’s New Year wish: Zero casualties

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

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa has asked his commanders to aim for zero casualties and make this year the safest New Year’s Eve celebration ever.

“I am appealing to your sense of urgency. Let us make this new year’s celebration the safest ever for everyone by achieving zero death & the lowest number of injuries,” Dela Rosa said in his message to key PNP officials on Sunday.

“Please continue pressing on your subordinate commanders to perform best,” he said.

The police chief reminded the officials that the number of casualties in their respective areas of responsibility is “reflective of your kind of leadership.”

Dela Rosa, who is set to retire in 2018, also thanked his top commanders for “rowing the boat that I captain in the same direction and with unfaltering intensity through the storms of 2017.”

President Duterte tapped dela Rosa to head the Bureau of Corrections (BOC) after he bows out of service next year.

Dela Rosa will turn 56, the mandatory retirement age for PNP personnel, on January 21, 2018 but the President extended his term for three more months. /cbb