Lacson says Dela Rosa’s apology “is probably the most unwelcome wake-up call”

January 20, 2017

Senator Panfilo Lacson Jr said apology of Philippine National Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa over the death of a Korean businessman allegedly abducted by policemen “is probably the most unwelcome wake-up call.”

“The PNP leadership should lose no time in addressing the issue by henceforth going hammer and tongs against all rogue cops who only care about their personal gains to the detriment of the entire police organization,” said Lacson in statement Friday.

Lacson was the former director general of the Philippine National Police.

"Priority must be against those who take advantage of the president's all-out, mostly bloody war against illegal drugs,” he said.

Lacson said Dela Rosa knows how to prune the ranks of “inept, corrupt and undisciplined policemen” as the current head of the national police “was one of those at the forefront of our no-nonsense internal cleansing of the police.”

“Seventeen years ago, when I was the Chief PNP, I really hit hard on the inept, corrupt and undisciplined policemen, regardless of rank, or what I referred to at that time as  ICUs. My primary concern was to do justice to the sacrifices of the overwhelmingly many honest and hardworking police officers,” said Lacson

Dela Rosa apologized on Thursday over the death of Jee Ick-joo, an executive of a shipping company who abducted in Pampanga last October , at the hands of his captors.

According to the affidavit of one of the policemen who took part in the operation, Jee was strangled to death inside the premises of the national police’s headquarters in Camp Crame.

Dela Rosa said two policemen who thought what they did was sanctioned by higher authorities, confessed. They pointed to Senior Police Officer 3 Ricky Sta. Isabel as the one reportedly behind the abduction.

The justice department Thursday approved the filing of kidnapping for ransom with homicide charges against several persons including two policemen in connection with the abduction of Jee. DMS