Gen. Bato Dela Rosa interview by Winnie Monsod in Bawal ang Pasaway

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• published: 30 Aug 2016
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Gen. Bato Dela Rosa interview by Winnie Monsod in Bawal ang Pasaway Philippine National Police Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa told host and economist Solita Monsod during Monday's episode of “Bawal Ang Pasaway Kay Mareng Winnie” that extrajudicial killings or summary executions had no part in the government's anti-illegal drugs policy. “No relationship at all,” emphasized dela Rosa.“Because I hate vigilantism. Galit po ako dyan sa mga pumatay na lang ng walang kalaban-laban. Summary killing? Ayaw ko po niyan. Galit na galit ako diyan.” Furthermore, dela Rosa said that he had proven his aversion to summary killings when he was Davao City's police chief, when he had openly challenged the so-called Davao Death Squad (DDS) - the vigilante group that supposedly executed petty criminals and drug dealers in the city. “Ako mismo, kahit mag-research ka doon sa Davao, lahat ng media ng Davao tanungin mo sila. Every now and then, lahat ng vigilante doon, yung sinasabi nilang Davao Death Squad, hinahamon ko ng barilan yan,” said the PNP chief. As to President Rodrigo Duterte's alleged relationship to the DDS, whether the president had been sympathetic to the gunmen or had even organized the death squad, dela Rosa argued that nothing had ever been proven. “Sige lang sila, accuse. Wala naman silang napro-prove,” he scoffed. “Sa tagal ko na pong nakasama si President Duterte, wala po siyang inutus sa akin na papatay na walang kalaban-laban. Meron po akong napatay, aaminin ko, meron akong napatay, legal na encounter, po,” dela Rosa added. The top-cop also said that they had scientific evidence to prove that some of the alleged extrajudicial killings were carried out by the drug gangs themselves. Dela Rosa explained that, sometimes, drug pushers also functioned as hired guns or hitmen. He recounted a case in which police officers had to kill a pusher who had tried to shoot it out with his men. Police forensic experts were later able to cross-match the pusher's gun to the weapon used in one of these extrajudicial killings. According to de la Rosa, a drug pusher's weapon had matched an extrajudicial killing in around 20 instances in Metro Manila. Chatting with the wealthy Dela Rosa also took exception to the allegation that police officers were quick to shoot and kill street-level drug pushers, while alleged drug lords who were wealthy were first spoken to and received the benefit of a thorough investigation. “Hindi po, mali po iyan,” insisted the PNP chief. “Karamihan kasi sa mayayaman hindi lumalaban. Yung mga mahirap, mga drug-crazed, nakipaglaban sa pulis.” The PNP chief added that the allegation was particularly untrue in the case Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa. According to dela Rosa, the day Espinosa arrived at the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame to surrender himself to the police chief, a busy schedule and a series of summons from Malacañang had prevented dela Rosa from meeting until the early hours of the next day. “Pagdating ko doon, po, tapos namin magusap, iyak siya, iyak yung asawa niya, iyak yung anak niya, nanginginig sa takot, gutom, tuliro. What do you expect from me? Tao lang ako. Pagkatapos ko kausapin yung taong naghihintay sa akin ng how many hours, pagkatapos noon patulugin ko lang sa kalsada?” reasoned dela Rosa. Espinosa was thus allowed to stay at the so-called “White House”, the PNP chief's official residence in Camp Crame. The mayor was later allowed to leave the Camp, dela Rosa explained. “We [didn't] have legal grounds to detain him. Right now we have evidence, kasi, subsequent to his surrender nag serve ng search warrant sa Albuera leyte sa kanyang bahay.” The first search resulted in a shootout between police officers and alleged Espinosa followers, six of whom were killed in the gunfight. The searches also yielded 11 kilograms of shabu and bomb-making ingredients. “Yung [mga nahanap na ebidensya] ang basis, kaya finalan siya ng kaso,” dela Rosa explained further. “But that was regular filing. So, pending the release of the warrant of arrest, hindi muna namin siya pwedeng hulihin.” Dela Rosa also warned that if Espinosa violently resisted arrest, his police officers would have no option but to defend themselves. Video Credit:GMA