By: Aaron B. Recuenco
Director General Ronald M. dela Rosa, chief of the Philippine National Police, will continue to wage his war on drugs even after his retirement next year.
But Dela Rosa said it would be against “ninja cops” or policemen involved in the illegal drugs trade and would also be a form of self-defense against them whom he said may be targeting him once he becomes a civilian after his mandatory retirement in January.
“I promise I will not back out against these scalawags even I am already retired. Lest you might see a retired four-star general leading vigilantes against erring policemen,” said Dela Rosa.
“I might become a vigilante against scalawag policemen, I will never stop up to my last breath,” he added.
More than 200 policemen, most of them involved in the illegal drugs trade, were kicked out of the service since January last year, the bulk of which was when Dela Rosa assumed the PNP leadership in July last year.
Hundreds of others were re-assigned to conflict-torn areas of the country while others were on a floating status or were forced to go on Absent Without Official Leave based on PNP data.
Dela Rosa said that his decision to become a vigilante or lead a vigilante group would only come into play if he sees that narco-policemen are starting to return to the PNP and begin lording over the country.
“As a citizen of the Republic, I have my desire to clean our community so I might become vigilante,” said Dela Rosa.
Dela Rosa said the PNP would go full speed with extreme caution in their possible return to the war against drugs for the third time.
“We will be proceeding at full speed. We will not care whom we would cross paths with. Let us hit and hit this particular problem (proliferation of illegal drugs),” said Dela Rosa.
President Duterte recently declared that he would bring the police back to the campaign on illegal drugs to prevent the drug problem from becoming worse.
But Duterte has yet to decide if the PNP would retake the lead on the war on drugs currently under the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
Duterte has yet to sign the document that would pave the way for the return of the PNP in the war against drugs.
This early, Dela Rosa said they are prepared to lead the war on drugs again.
But unlike before, the Chief PNP said they would be careful in handling the operations as he admitted that lapses during the time the PNP is still at the helm of anti-drugs operations across the country.
“Full speed with extreme caution. We have learned a lot of lessons already,” said Dela Rosa.
