Bato denies PNP paying cops who kill drug suspects

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa questioned the investigative report of human rights watchdog Amnesty International where a cop admitted they are being paid for killing drug suspects.

Dela Rosa, in a press briefing in Angeles City, Pampanga, denied the information and said they don’t have funds for such a scheme.

“Ewan ko kung sino nagbabayad… pero kung totoo man yan hindi po binabayaran ‘yung mga pulis na ‘yan,” the PNP chief said.

READ: Amnesty: Paid killers, cops behind some drug-related deaths

Dela Rosa challenged Amnesty International to reveal the identity of the police officer who claimed they are receiving P8,000 to P15,000 per kill during the anti-drug operations.

“Ilabas nila ‘yung tao na ‘yan, in the open, for all you know paninira na naman ‘yan sa administrasyong Duterte,” he said.

“File a complaint, ilabas ang tao na yan at dalhin sa obmdusman para magkaliwanagan tayo,” Dela Rosa added.

The Amnesty International report said the rising number of deaths during police operations were caused by the under-the-table payments.

READ: Bato suspends drug war for 'internal cleansing' of PNP

The police officer who requested anonymity explained that an arrest would mean nothing compared to killing the drug suspect.

“The PNP incentive isn’t announced. … We’re paid in cash, secretly, by headquarters. The payment is [split by] the unit. … There’s no incentive for arresting. We’re not paid anything,” the police informant said.

Dela Rosa already stopped their anti-drug operation, including “Oplan Tokhang” after President Rodrigo Duterte tagged them as "corrupt to the core."

He also dissolved PNP’s anti-illegal drug group, while the internal cleansing in their ranks is ongoing.

WATCH: Dela Rosa to ‘narco-cops’: This is the worst!

“These are obviously not the norm, despite a higher number of police operations that have resulted to inevitable fatal encounters with criminal elements lately,” PNP said in a separate statement.

“The police cannot help being typecast as alleged violators of human rights partly because of the basic nature of its law enforcement function that constantly places him in cross swords engagement or armed contact with criminal elements,” they added.