‘Bato’ tells PNP-NBI ‘syndicate’: Bring it on

Philippine National Police Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa.
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Friday said he will not be cowed by the syndicate  composed of rogue police and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) members  behind the killing of South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo.

“Bring it on. Whatever you want to do. Basta (As long as it is) in the interest of justice, I am willing to die every time,” Dela Rosa told reporters at Camp Crame, where Jee was killed by the group of SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel, a member of the newly-dissolved PNP Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (AIDG).

READ: Bato: Rogue PNP, NBI members conspired to kill Jee Ick-joo

According to PNP’s Anti-Kidnapping Group chief Senior Supt. Glenn Dumlao, Supt. Rafael Dumlao, one of the AIDG team leaders and Sta. Isabel’s boss, told him while in tears that a bigger group was protecting Sta. Isabel.

“Ang unang sabi niya sa akin, ‘Sta. Isabel, demonyo ka.’ Sabi ko, ‘Bakit takot ka kay Sta. Isabel?’ ‘Ang dami nila. Hindi ni’yo sila kaya, hindi ni’yo sila kaya,” Dumlao said in an earlier interview.

(First, he told me: “Sta. Isabel, you’re a demon.” I said, “Why do you fear Sta. Isabel?” “There are many of them. You can’t handle them.”)

Dela Rosa then said Rafael, whose wife is an NBI agent, could be fearing  high ranking officials of NBI involved in Jee’s killing.

“Siguro ‘yung mga inimplicate niya na malaking officials sa NBI—‘yon siguro ang kinakatakutan niya. Siya pwede matakot pero ako hindi matakot,” Dela Rosa said.

(He might be scared of the high-ranking NBI officials he implicated. He can get scared. But I am not.)

NBI’s Metro Manila division head Ricardo Diaz was relieved from his post after Rafael tagged Diaz and his men as among those involved. IDL/rga

READ: NBI halts war on drugs