Bato goes ‘soul-searching,’ mulls spiritual retreat for all cops

PNP Chief Dir. General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa addresses cops after the Mass inside Camp Crame. JULLIANE LOVE DE JESUS/INQUIRER.net

Cleanse yourself and be closer to God.

This was the message of Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa to his men after deciding to suspend the bloody war against drugs and focus on purging bad eggs in the PNP, which President Rodrigo Duterte described as “corrupt to the core.”

READ: PNP: War on drugs suspended, purge of bad cops on

“Before I cleanse the organization, I should cleanse myself first. Go soul-searching, (think about) what to do and what I failed to do why the PNP has become like this,” Dela Rosa said.

The PNP held a Mass on Tuesday as it declared a “Day of Prayer and Penance in support to the anti-illegal drugs campaign of President Rodrigo Duterte” at the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame, where abducted South Korean Jee Ick-joo was killed by antinarcotics cops last October.

After the Mass led by Bishop Leopoldo Tumulak, Dela Rosa delivered a short message before the Crame-based cops and said he was going through an “extensive soul-searching.”

“It’s very important that we have to cleanse ourselves first. I need to cleanse myself first so this is why I’m here right now,” the usually brash Dela Rosa calmly said.

“I’m going through extensive soul-searching, getting back closer to God kasi kapag masyado tayong busy at masyadong maraming problema, nakakalimutan natin ang relationship natin with God (because if we are too busy and confounded by problems, we forget our relationship with God),” he said.

He then asked the members of the police to turn to God especially now that the PNP is facing a problem within its ranks.

“For all we know, He’s the ultimate one. Wala nang iba. Siya lang talaga pupuntahan natin kapag tayo ay may (There is no other. He’s the only One we can go to if we have a) problem so I invite everyone to cleanse, in doing so, we will be doing a great service to our organization,” he said.

READ: CBCP hails suspension of Duterte’s drug war

In an ambush interview after the Mass, Dela Rosa said he might consider sending all PNP personnel to spiritual retreat “to undergo cleansing.”

The police chief on Monday said that the war on drugs would have to take a backseat as the PNP shifted its focus to internal cleansing efforts after a group of anti-drugs cops were suspected of masterminding the murder of a Korean national.

The cops, members of the PNP Anti-Illegal Drug Group (AIDG), also asked for a ransom as a high as P5 million from Jee’s family after killing the victim.

Over the weekend, President Duterte ordered Dela Rosa to dissolve the AIDG and form a task force to go after scalawags in the police force. IDL/rga