Dela Rosa says he doesn’t feel bad with Duterte order putting PDEA as main agency in drug war

October 12, 2017

Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Ronald Dela Rosa said he is not sad about the presidential directive directing them to end their anti-drug campaign and making the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) as the main agency in this task.

But he does not want their accomplishments to go to waste. "I don't feel bad. I just feel a pity about the initial gains that we had in the past year but this needs to be done.  We have to follow it", Dela Rosa said in an ambush interview in Laguna on Thursday.

Dela Rosa said the PNP Drug Enforcement Group "will continue to function as the PNP's arm in anti-drugs, but for now, limited to intelligence production and monitoring." " If they get good intel info, we will pass this to PDEA."

He said if the Senate doesn't want to fund the Oplan Tokhang Double Barrel anti-drug program, which costs P900 million, the PNP will accept it.

In a separate interview at the Senate Wednesday night when lawmakers were questioning the budget of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Dela Rosa said: "You can just imagine. We poured 100 percent of our resources last year ( on the war on drugs)."

President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the PNP to stop its war on drugs on January 30 after complaints that some anti-drug policemen abused their authority. But on March 7, the PNP relaunched its anti-drug war, promising it to be less bloody. But the death of a 17-year-old teener in Caloocan under an alleged anti-drug operation created a big controversy.

Then a series of surveys by private pollster Social Weather Stations last week showing some Filipinos showed disfavor on anti-drug operations.

The Senate said it resume deliberating on the DILG budget when sessions resume on November 13.

Dela Rosa said he hopes local governments unit will boost  the manpower of PDEA in conducting the campaign and operations against illegal drugs.

"The vacuum that we will left behind. The community, LGU, and all stakeholders should be challenged. They should be encouraged to do their share, effort to fill up the  vacuum that we will left behind", he said.

Dela Rosa said PDEA has 1,7000 personnel compared to 185,000 policemen that was 100 percent focused on the war on drugs before.

The PNP said they will focus on "anti criminality, internal security operation and anti  terrorism" after Duterte named the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency as the "sole agency" to conduct anti-illegal drug operations.

"What we will be doing because of this two directive is all units are now directed to focus on operation on number one anti criminality , number two internal security operation, number three anti terrorism through our provisions and strategy in our enhance managing police operation",  PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Dionardo Carlos said in a press briefing on Thusday .

In a memorandum from the president issued on October 10,the National Bureau of Investigation, Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Bureau of Customs, Philippine Postal Office and other agencies were directed to leave the war on drug operations and campaigns to PDEA.

Carlos said PNP is open to assist the PDEA in conducting the operation "anytime" but they will not plan or conduct operations against illegal drugs.

He said information and investigation about illegal drugs will be relayed to PDEA.

"The tasking is specific here that we will relay, forward immediately to the PDEA , any information or investigation", he said. Alanna Ambi/DMS