PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) Chief Ronald dela Rosa should ignore calls for him to resign over the kidnapping and killing of a Korean businessman by rogue personnel.
The national police force is under scrutiny by legislators and anti-crime groups after discovery of the killing of the Korean national in Camp Crame while in custody for illegal drug activities.
House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez earlier issued a statement calling on Dela Rosa, known as “Bato,” to resign immediately “to save President Rodrigo Duterte from further embarrassment and restore respect to the office of the PNP director general.” Dela Rosa said critics should direct their resignation calls to the President.
Pending any order from Duterte, he would continue his “mission” to stop illegal drugs, he said.
Dela Rosa should use accusations against the police force as a chance to get strict and be drastic. He is the best person to exact sweeping change in an organization that claimed success in a similarly drastic yet controversial campaign against illegal drugs.
The police chief has shown sincerity in wanting to clean up the force and empathy for the public who suffer from inept law enforcement. He once cried in a congressional hearing on police abuses and apologized to the people.
The case of the Korean national abducted last October is only one of the recent accusations against the police.
Another was the recycling of evidence planted on those the police killed. Sen. Panfilo Lacson raised the possibility that guns were reused on victims to make it appear they fought back, forcing policemen to shoot them.
The Philippine Star had reported on the “coincidence” of guns seized in separate encounter having the same serial numbers. Each firearm is supposed to have a unique serial number.
These are the issues hounding Dela Rosa. Instead of letting go, he should double his efforts.
Use the same momentum in the campaign against illegal drugs to weed out scalawags and to publicly shame and penalize them for being a disgrace to the uniform. Dela Rosa must act swiftly and show results, or he would be accused of covering up for his personnel.