Dela Rosa: I restored people's trust in cops

IF there is one thing that Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald Dela Rosa could brag about his leadership, it is that he brought the national police agency close to the heart of the masses.

“Ayoko naman mag-buhat ng bangko pero ako, as much as I'm concerned, binalik ko ang PNP to the ground, to the people, to the masses na ‘yung tao nagtitiwala sa pulis,” he said in a press conference in Camp Crame.

(I do not want to boast but I brought the police back to the ground, closer to the masses. The people now trust the police again.)

“Well lahat ng pulis they are looking for leadership by example nakikita nila chief PNP nila bumababa sa ground nakikipag-salamuha sa tao nakikipag-akbayan sa mga security guard, mga tricycle driver, vendors, napapalapit sa mga tao, napaka-laking accomplishment ‘yung tiwala at pagmamahal ng taong bayan, I can feel it (that they love the) na minamahal nila ngayon ang PNP,” he added.

(My men see how their chief PNP fraternizes with the security guards, tricycle drivers, vendors and others. Restoring the people's trust in the police is a big accomplishment.)

Dela Rosa has become a “selfie magnet” anywhere he goes. some people go beyond wanting to take pictures with him and hug him or even kiss him.

Dela Rosa said he has been very accommodating to everyone whom he called as his supporters.

In the early days of Dela Rosa's watch under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, the PNP became a feared institution because of the alleged extrajudicial killings under its war on drugs.

From July 1, 2016 to November 27, 2017, the PNP conducted a total of 79,193 anti-drug operations which resulted in the arrest of 118,287 drug personalities and the killing of 3,967 others.

In the past 16 months of President Rodrigo Duterte's administration and Dela Rosa as the PNP chief, several policemen were found to be involved in illegal activities.

Among those were the killings of Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo, 17-year-old Kian delos Santos and 19-year-old Carl Angelo Arnaiz.

For Dela Rosa, it was the killing of Jee that made the biggest impact on his term as the chief PNP.

Jee was abducted from his residence in Angeles City, Pampanga. He was found murdered inside a car parked within Camp Crame, the police headquarters.

Accused of the crime are policemen who were part of the defunct PNP anti-illegal drugs group.

Senior Police Officer (SPO) 4 Roy Villegas, who admitted taking part in Jee’s abduction tagged SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel as the mastermind of the crime and PO2 Christopher Baldivino as the one who conducted surveillance operation against the victim.

Sta. Isabel, however, denied killing Jee and tagged his superior, Superintendent Raphael Dumlao III, as the brains behind the crime.

Dumlao, on the other hand, denied the allegations saying there were “bigger personalities” behind the killing which aims to sabotage the PNP’s war on drugs.

The incident had prompted the President to exclude the PNP from the war on drugs and order its internal cleansing.

The PNP, however, was brought back as the campaign’s lead agency at least a month after.

But after almost eight months, Duterte again ordered the PNP to stop carrying out anti-drug operations following the killing of Delos Santos and Arnaiz.

Delos Santos was killed during an anti-illegal drugs operation on August 16, 2017 in Barangay 160 while Arnaiz was killed allegedly after a robbery try.

Policemen involved in the killing of the two teenagers all claimed that both victims engaged the policemen in a firefight.

Witnesses, however, said otherwise. Forensic evidence later showed that Delos Santos was shot while kneeling while Arnaiz was in a prone position when killed.

The killings of the teenagers have prompted National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Oscar Albayalde to relieve the entire Caloocan City Police.

Dela Rosa is set to retire on April 21, 2018, after a three-month extension of his service.

He reached the mandatory retirement age of 56 on January 21, but Duterte had asked him to stay on for three months.

Duterte last week said Albayalde will be the next PNP chief. (SunStar Philippines)

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