Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Tuesday doubted the ‘timing’ of the release of a Reuters news report about an anti-drug operation carried out by the police last month that left three men killed in Tondo, Manila.
The PNP’s highest official believed that the report’s timing was questionable saying it was an attempt to prevent the police force from returning back to the government’s campaign contra illegal drugs.
“Tina-timing tsaka lumalabas ‘yung mga ganu’n na damaging reports sa PNP kung kailan tayo babalik. Ibig sabihin, ‘yung mga kalaban natin ayaw talaga tayo pabalikin [They are timing the release of damaging reports about PNP when our return is being considered. It means, our enemy doesn’t want us to return],” Dela Rosa told reporters on Tuesday.
“They’ve been preparing, researching, pinrepare nila nang husto at tina-timing nila yung oral arguments sa SC, atsaka nila pinalabas. Para ano pa [They are really preparing and they are timing it to the oral arguments in the SC. What for],” he alleged.
The international news agency said that their obtained CCTV footage contradicted PNP’s claimed that they shot the three men in self-defense.
According to Reuters, an eyewitness said that the three men were executed under the hands of the police.
“Basta masasabi ko sa Reuters (All I can say to Reuters is) if you want the PNP to look bad, you can do it, you can really do it,” Dela Rosa said.
The report was published after President Rodrigo Duterte said that he eyes returning the PNP to the war zone of “Oplan Tokhang” after he removed its control over it and assigned the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) as a sole agency in charge of the drug war.