Bato cites killing of Jee Ick-joo, drug war probes as lowest points in his stint as PNP chief

MANILA, Philippines — Outgoing Philippine National Police chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa considered the kidnap-slay of Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo and the Senate probes into the government’s war on drugs as the lowest points in his career as the chief of the 180,000-strong agency.

“Lowest point? The Jee Ick-joo case,” Dela Rosa said during his last press briefing as the PNP chief Monday.

Jee was murdered on October 18, 2016 by drug squad officers inside Camp Crame, the PNP national headquarters, but it was exposed only in January 2017.

The killing of Jee prompted Dela Rosa to tender his resignation but President Rodrigo Duterte refused to let him go.

The event also led Duterte to remove the power from the police to go after drug suspects. But after a month, the chief executive again tapped the PNP, claiming the drug problems continued.

Dela Rosa also considered the Senate probes into the spate of extrajudicial killings under the Duterte administration when he felt he was at rock-bottom.

“The second lowest point was facing the Senate defenseless. Kaharap mo ‘yung mga senador na wala kang magawa kundi lamunin na lang ‘yung sama ng loob,” he said.

Dela Rosa broke down twice during the Senate hearings. The first time was in November 2016 when he was asked what he planned to do to restore the public's trust in the police force after cops killed Albuera Mayor Roland Espinosa.

He shed tears anew in September 2017 when he tried to defend the PNP amid accusations of state-sanctioned killings.

The police force has been heavily criticized for being on the forefront of the bloody campaign against illegal narcotics. The agency was at the center of public outrage after the deaths of three teenagers at the hands of policemen.

The government’s war on drugs has resulted in the deaths of at least 4,000 drug suspects although critics and human rights groups have higher estimates.

READ: More than a roller coaster ride for PNP

Regrets? Bato has none

Dela Rosa described his 21 months of service as the country’s top cop as a “roller coaster ride.”

“But there were more ups. Downs were rare,” he claimed.

The outgoing PNP chief said he regrets nothing during his almost two-year stint.

“Lahat ng ginawa ko, ginamitan ko ng puso at utak. As I’ve said, I fell short of the expectation of the public, it’s okay. ‘Yun lang kaya kong gawin bilang chief PNP na probinsyano. At wala akong pagsisisi. Ginawa ko dapat kong gawin,” he said.

He, moreover, claimed that the PNP regained the public trust during his leadership, citing the agency’s participation in the war on drugs.

Dela Rosa, who will soon head the Bureau of Corrections, said his legacy as the 21^st PNP chief was bringing the police force closer to the people.

He is set to retire on April 19.