Dela Rosa describes first year as PNP chief like a theme park ride

July 3, 2017

Philippine National Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa described on Monday his first year term as leader of the country’s police force like theme park Enchanted Kingdom's "Anchors Away" ride. "It will go really high…  and then go down like your... is being sucked off and then you will go up again until you’re about to pee. That is how I spent my one year, Dela Rosa said. Dela Rosa was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as PNP chief on July 1 and he engaged the police in the war on drugs program of the government. He said the high point of his first year of leadership is when he hears people thanking him for his service but scandals involving police officers brought him down. He cited the case of the Korean national killed inside Camp Crame and scalawags as examples of the down moments in his term which at one point made him think of resigning. “When I go out of the office I am happy because people thank me. I feel high. Even when I am abroad, they thank me. Then when I arrive inside Camp Crame, (I hear) a Korean has been killed inside Crame. You feel down and you feel like resigning,” he said. “Then your mood goes up and then a Police Officer 1 used a rattan stick to whip someone… You just can’t stay on top,” he said. Around 160 cops involved in different cases, mostly drug related, were dismissed from their position, Dela Rosa said. The highest ranked policemen were superintendents. He said about 84 cops, including Superintendent Maria Cristina Nobleza who allegedly helped Abu Sayyaf members in Bohol last April, are facing dismissal while 37 are detained with charges filed against them. Isidro Lapena, director general of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency,  said last Friday authorities seized a total of P82.5-billion worth of illegal drugs during the first year of anti illegal drug campaign of President Rodrigo Duterte government. About 3,171 drug personalities were killed during legitimate drug operations while 57 people died in the side of the law enforcers, he said. "We are winning the war. I am very satisfied with the performance but there are problems along the way", Dela Rosa said. He said one evidence that drug war is a success is the fall of the crime volume by 27 percent from last year. Dela Rosa said the numbers of dismissed PNP officers will increase and police will have "no mercy" on scalawag cops. He assured dismissed police officers cannot come back to duty as long as Rodrigo Duterte is the president. He said at 22nd kick-off ceremony of the Police Community Relations month that cops should build a closer relationship with the community to build a good public image. "Bear in mind that for police work to be effective , successful there must be genuine and sincere community support brought about by the public's full trust and confidence", Dela Rosa said. (Alanna Ambi/DMS)