Bato Dela Rosa: Galit ako sa EJKs, walang b——g ang gumagawa niyan

Bureau of Corrections chief Ronald dela Rosa has staunchly insisted that he is opposed to extra judicial killings (EJK), saying those who resort to such slays are cowards.

“Ako mismo, galit na galit sa gumagawa ng EJK, kasi kagagawan yan ng mga taong walang b***g. Kung gusto mo pumatay, palabanin mo. Bigyan mo ng baril, makipagbarilan ka. Hindi ‘yung babarilin mo, papatayin mo ng walang kalaban laban,” Dela Rosa said after filing his certificate of candidacy for the Senate in the May 2019 polls.

“Galit na galit ako diyan, ever since. Captain; Major pa lang ako sa Davao. Parati kong sinasabi sa mga taong mahilig pumatay eh, kahit criminal ‘yan, may karapatan ‘yan. ‘Di mo papatayin ng walang kalaban laban. Kawawa ang tao,” Dela Rosa added.

Prior to being the BuCor chief, Dela Rosa oversaw the implementation of the Duterte administration’s anti-drug war as the chief of Philippine National Police.

President Rodrigo Duterte is already facing the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) preliminary examination on charges of committing crimes against humanity due to the high death toll from the government's drug war.

The ICC action stemmed from petitions filed by lawyer Jude Sabio, counsel of self-confessed hit man Edgar Matobato, in May 2017; and  by activists and families of alleged victims of the drug war.

Dela Rosa, however, maintained that the extrajudicial killings are not a policy of the Duterte administration.

He cited the case of policemen involved in the killing of teenager Kian De Los Santos and South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo who are already facing charges in court.

“‘’Yang mga kasong ‘yan, pulis ‘yan. May kaso na,” Dela Rosa said.

“Mananagot ang dapat managot. Sagutin nila [ang asunto]” Dela Rosa added.

Based on police records, over 4,000 people were killed under the police’s anti-drug operations under the Duterte administration.

The death toll on drug-related killings based on the tally of human rights organizations, on the other hand, is set at 12,000 to as much as 20,000. — MDM, GMA News