Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 27) — National Police Chief Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa warned Monday he could take matters into his own hands if rogue policemen remain and criminality continues to spread in the country.
Speaking to the press on on Monday, Dela Rosa said he might lead a vigilante group in frustration after retirement .
“Wala na kayong mahabol sakin. Hindi na niyo ako ma-Ombudsman niyan. Sibilyan na ako e…. Just in case maging frustrated ako, retired na ako, then nakikita ko na grabe pa rin itong pulis na scalawag, narco cops bumabalik na naman, mga ninja cops naghaharian na naman… Well, as a citizen of the republic, I have the desire to clean their community. So baka, pwede ako mag-vigilante pag ma-frustrate ako,” he said.
(Translation: You can’t file a case against me before the Ombudsman anymore because I wouldn’t be a civilian by then. When my term is up, and I still see there are still police scalawags, and narco-cops or ninja cops — as a citizen of the republic, I have the desire to clean their community, I could become a vigilante out of frustration.)
But he clarified this would be an extreme option since he still believed the government can handle the criminality problem even after he retires.
“Ako man ay naniniwala pa rin ako sa gobyerno. Very extreme na ‘yun na kung sobrang frustrated na tayo, pwede siguro tayong last resort ‘yan,” he said.
(I still believe in the government. [Leading a vigilante group] would be very extreme if I become very frustratedrating, like a last resort.)
About 4,000 people have died in police operations under President Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial war on drugs. Human rights watchdogs peg the number at over 13,000, including those who died in vigilante-style killings.
The government have maintained they have no involvement in such killings, and denied condoning them.
Related: Gov’t shuns UN experts: We will never condone EJKs
However, the PNP has also been under fire for rogue cops — particularly in the slaying of teenagers Kian Delos Santos and Carl Arnaiz, the kidnapping of Korean national Jee Ick Joo, and the killing of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa while in jail. Incident of police abuse prompted the relief and retraining of over 1,000 Caloocan cops in September.
Dela Rosa in October vowed to focus on “internal cleansing” and motorcyle-riding hitmen when Duterte ordered the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency to take over the drug campaign. The President had since announced he would allow the PNP to head the drug war again.
Related: Duterte: PNP will lead anti-drug ops again
CNN Philippines multi-platform writer Regine Cabato contributed to this report.
