Appearing at the hearing of the Senate committee on public order and risky drugs, which has opened an inquiry into the rash of killings in the course of government’s war on drugs, Dela Rosa was asked by Senator Grace Poe for the official death toll in the drug war.
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As for anti-illegal drug operations of the police, de la Rosa said a total of 665 drug suspects were killed by law enforcers during the same period.
According to Dela Rosa, from July 1 to August 11, the PNP has conducted a total of 306,991 house visitations under its Oplan Tokhang, which resulted in the surrender of 564,109 drug personalities.
“Most of the suspects are drug pushers who became hitmen of the drug lords”, said Dela Rosa of the 22 cases.
He also said the possible involvement of Chinese hit men in vigilante killings of suspects ordered by drug kingpins was under investigation.
The former justice secretary also quizes the PNP chief: Do you think the previous administration failed to address the illegal drugs problem?
Poe earlier this month filed Senate Resolution 70 to look into the continued non-implementation of the PNP Reform and Reorganization Act of 1998, which mandates that the IAS head be a civilian.
Dela Rosa had told her that he thought it best to keep a cop as IAS head since appointing a civilian as IAS head could threaten his safety.
“I understand your concern that a civilian might not be able to cope with the police culture, but that’s not what is in the law and I don’t believe that”, Poe said.
The IAS is temporarily headed by Chief Supt.
“Napakalungkot isipin na may mga pulis na sangkot sa ilegal na droga”, Dela Rosa said.
Then she asked Dela Rosa whether a violent campaign was the solution to the problem, informing the PNP chief that that would be the topic of discussion during her committee’s hearing on Monday, and asking him whether he would show up. “But if you really want that to happen, right away Ma’am, I can appoint a new IAS”, he assured Ms. Poe.
POLICE Chief Roland dela Rosa on Thursday heeded a senator’s call to appoint a qualified civilian to head his agency’s Internal Affairs Service.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner in a statement urged the Philippine government to put an end to the current wave of extrajudicial executions and killings in the context of an intensified anti-crime and anti-drug campaign.
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For his part, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, Dainius Pras, noted that “however necessary, responses to the illicit drug trade must be carried out in full compliance with national and global obligations and should respect the human rights of each person”.
