FILE PHOTO: Sen. Ronald 鈥淏ato鈥� Dela Rosa at a Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs hearing on May 20, 2024.(Bibo Nueva Espa帽a/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Former top cop turned lawmaker Sen. Ronald dela Rosa erupted in frustration on Wednesday when he was asked whether the term 鈥渘eutralize鈥� in an Oplan Tokhang memorandum he signed in 2016 meant 鈥渢o kill.鈥�
The document in question was Command Memorandum Circular No. 16-2016 issued on July 1, 2016.
It was part of the Philippine Anti-Illegal Drugs Campaign Plan project dubbed 鈥淧roject Double Barrel,鈥� otherwise known as Oplan Tokhang.
Dela Rosa, in a televised interview, maintained that the term 鈥渘eutralize鈥� used in the memo pertains to 鈥渃onvincing鈥� suspected drug users to 鈥渟urrender in order for them not to commit further crimes.鈥�
鈥淜ung ang purpose nyan is to kill, bakit hindi na lang ilagay sa memorandum circular to kill everyone? Kill, kill, kill. Bakit neutralize pa ang ilalagay natin?鈥� said the senator over ANC鈥檚 Headstart.
(If the purpose of that is to kill, why not just put in the memorandum circular to kill everyone? Kill, kill, kill. Why are we going to put the word neutralize?)
At this point, the senator lost his cool, explaining that he was not stupid to come up with a document that would incriminate himself.
鈥淓 kung gusto ko palang patayin, bakit pa ako gagawa ng memorandum circular na mag i-incriminate sa aking sarili? Ganoon ba ako ka-gago, do you think ganon ako katanga? Na gagawa ako ng memorandum circular na self-incriminating? E bakit?鈥� said Dela Rosa.
(And if I really want to kill, why would I make a memorandum circular to incriminate myself? Am I that stupid, do you think I鈥檓 that stupid? That I would make a self-incriminating memorandum circular? And why?)
鈥淧wede ko naman i-text 鈥榶ung mga tao na 鈥楶atayin niyo!鈥� o bulungan ko na 鈥楶atayin niyo!鈥� para walang ebidensya; bakit gagawa pa ako ng dokumento na magiging ebidensya laban sa akin? Ganoon ba katanga ang chief PNP?鈥� he emphasized.
(I can text people 鈥楰ill them!鈥� or whisper 鈥楰ill them!鈥� so there is no evidence; why would I create a document that could be used as evidence against me? Is the PNP chief that stupid?)
As former President Rodrigo Duterte鈥檚 top cop, dela Rosa was also the chief implementer of the brutal campaign against illegal drugs, which landed him on the roster of Duterte administration officials accused of crimes against humanity by the families of drug war victims before the International Criminal Court.
搁贰础顿:听Bato dela Rosa urged to explain role in Duterte 鈥榙rug war鈥� before ICC
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency listed 6,252 dead in anti-drug police operations from July 1, 2016, to May 31, 2022.
This, however, is less than the over 20,000 deaths indicated in a 2017 year-end report attributed to the Office of the President in the first 17 months of the Duterte administration.