Bato tells critics not to worry over ‘shit happens’ remark, vows to conduct Senate probe

Senator Ronald dela Rosa vowed Friday to conduct a probe on the death of a three-year old girl during a buy-bust operation amid criticisms on his remark that ‘shit happens during operations."

“Tell them not to worry,” Dela Rosa told GMA News Online when sought for comment on the matter.

“I will be conducting a Senate hearing on this case once I am formally and officially appointed as chairman of the Senate committee on public order and illegal drugs,” he added, referring to the panel currently headed by Senator Panfilo Lacson.

Lacson will be giving up the committee, when the 18th Congress officially opens on July 22, and yield to Dela Rosa.

Lacson said this is to let the neophyte senator “immediately feel and experience how to balance the plight of those at the receiving end of the abuses and overzealousness of some police officers in the conduct of their operations with the side of law enforcement itself.”

When asked to comment on the death of three-year old Kateleen Myca Ulpina, Dela Rosa said police would always ensure that there would be no collateral damage but things sometimes go awry.

“Sino ba may gusto, ikaw ba pulis ka gusto mong may batang matamaan? Never, kasi ikaw may anak ka rin. Hindi mo gustong may mangyaring ganun pero shit happens during operations,” Dela Rosa said during Kapihan sa Senado.

Senators, including Lacson, disagreed with Dela Rosa’s nonchalant attitude over the matter.

New York-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch also scored the former Philippine National Police chief.

"His contempt for the victims of the drug war makes his reported chairmanship of the Senate committee on public order and illegal drugs a travesty," said Carlos Conde, HRW Philippines researcher.

"It also suggests that he cannot be expected to independently investigate the conduct of law enforcers, let alone the killings themselves," he added.

Malacañang defended Dela Rosa’s statement.

“Ang ibig lang niyang sabihin: accidents do happen. Sino bang gusto na may mamamatay na bata. In fact we don’t want that a human being is snuffed out,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo told reporters on Friday when asked to comment on the matter.

“Expression lang yun ni Senator Bato.” — with Virgil Lopez/MDM, GMA News