Bato dela Rosa defends policeman who drove into ranks of protesters

PNP chief Director General Ronald Dela Rosa has taken up the cudgels for the policeman who drove the vehicle into the ranks of protesters in front of the US Embassy on Wednesday, GMA News' Mariz Umali has reported on "24 Oras."

"Nag-panic yung driver dahil nung kinuyog yung sasakyan niya gustong itaob ng mga ralyista," Dela Rosa told reporters in China, where he is a part of the delegation of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Duterte is in Beijing for a four-day state visit. He has ordered an investigation into the violent dispersal that caused injuries to dozens of people from both the police and the protesters.

"Gustong niyang mag-extricate sa area... from the violent crowd,"  Dela Rosa said.

Senior Superintendent Marcelino Pedroso, who was at the site of the dispersal, accused the protesters of having malicious intentions.

He indicated that some of the marchers would have been killed if the driver of the police vehicle really wanted to hit them.

"May plano po silang manggulo, mag vandalize, manakit ng pulis and magsira. At for the first time nakakita ako ng rally na sinisira po nila yung mga mobile cars yung mga properties namin," Pedroso said.

"Kunin nyo po muna ang panig ng driver kasi po yung driver na yan, kung may intensyon po talaga siya na sagasaan, dapat tinuluyan na niya," he added. —NB, GMA News