THE Philippine National Police (PNP) is preparing contingencies for the possible arrest of former chief PNP now Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa amid the investigation being conducted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the drug war of the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
“We'll just cross the bridge when we are there. Kasi ang hirap ng pangunahan nun na may darating, pag darating na ganito, may darating ano yun, e paano pag wala. Parang napakahirap naman nun,” said PNP Chief General Nicolas Torre III.
(We’ll just cross the bridge when we get there. It’s really hard to anticipate something that might happen — like, if it happens, what then? But what if it doesn’t? It just feels really difficult to worry about it beforehand.)
“But obviously, we are also making contingencies na pag may nangyari ngang ganito ano ang ating gagawin, pag may nangyayaring ganun, ganun ang ating gagawin. So hindi nga lang siya talaga proper na parang i-discuss mo na kaagad at this moment. Nakita niyo naman siguro you know what I mean. It's really something has to be acted upon pag andyan na. We'll make decisions as it comes,” he added.
(But obviously, we’re also making contingencies -- planning what to do if this happens, or if that happens, we have a response ready. It’s just that it’s not really the right time to discuss everything in detail right now. You probably get what I mean. It’s really something that has to be acted upon when the time comes. We’ll make decisions as things unfold.)
Dela Rosa earlier tagged himself as the number two accused in the ICC case against Duterte, being the first chief PNP of the former administration and the face of the drug war.
Torre, the director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) before he assumed the top cop post, led the arrest of Duterte on the basis of the arrest warrant issued by the ICC.
The ICC is probing the alleged crime against humanity in the country during the implementation of Duterte’s crackdown against illegal drugs, which resulted in the killing of thousands of alleged drug personalities.
Duterte was placed in custody upon arrival in the country from Hong Kong in the morning of March 11.
After several hours of discussion, in the evening, Torre escorted Duterte to a plane, which brought him to The Hague in the Netherlands.
Duterte is currently detained at The Hague Penitentiary Institution or the Scheveningen prison.
Meanwhile, Torre said the political opponents of the administration have nothing to worry about his appointment as the chief of the PNP.
He said they are safe as long as they will not do anything against the law.
“The special assignment from the President is to serve the people with the best of our abilities and we are going to that. Now, kung kinakatakutan ay matakot sila gumawa ng labag sa batas because ang labag sa batas yun lang naman ang katakutan natin (Now, if they’re afraid, let them be afraid to break the law, because breaking the law is exactly what we should be concerned about). Everything should be done within the ambit of the law,” he said.
“Ligtas sila huwag lang sila gumawa ng mali kasi hindi sila makakaligtas,” he added.
(They’ll be safe, as long as they don’t make any mistakes -- because if they do, they won’t be able to get out safely.)
Torre was also regarded for leading the 16-day extensive operation that resulted in the arrest of Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and five of his followers who are facing charges for human trafficking and sexual and child abuse.
He faced criticisms especially from the Dutertes over the said operation.
Earlier, Senator Imee Marcos requested for the Ombudsman to probe officials involved in Duterte’s arrest, which include Torre, saying they could be liable for graft, grave misconduct, usurpation of judicial functions, and arbitrary detention, among others. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)