Duterte to extend Dela Rosa’s tour of duty by 2-3 months before assuming BuCor post

December 13, 2017

President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday he will extend the tour of duty of Philippine National Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa by two to three months.

Dela Rosa is supposed to retire on Jan. 21, 2018 upon reaching the age of 56, the mandatory retirement age of men in uniform. He will then assume the position of Bureau of Corrections chief.

"I have that discretion to extend even beyond retirement age. I have lots to do. I want to do some things in Mindanao of utmost importance and I need to extend the tour of duty of General Dela Rosa to something like two to three months," Duterte told reporters in Taguig City.

He said Dela Rosa has to still oversee some PNP projects, like infrastructure and physical setting of the PNP headquarters. "But this time, I am not prepared to spill it out before the public," he said.

After the projects are in place, Duterte said Dela Rosa could retire from the PNP and assume his new post as head of BuCor.

"Once the projects are in place or operational or functional, then he goes to the BuCor," he said.

Duterte said BuCor has to attend to many problems in different penal colonies, "not really detention but the prisoners convicted by final judgment who are serving sentence."

Duterte said he has no decision as to who will replace Dela Rosa as PNP chief. Celerina Monte/DMS