‘Bato’ to head prisons bureau

OUTGOING Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa will be appointed, upon his retirement, as head of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Christopher “Bong” Go, special assistant to

appointment as prisons head to Malacañang reporters Wednesday morning.

De la Rosa turns 56, the retirement age for those in the uniformed services, on January 21, 2018. He is expected to be replaced by Deputy Director General Ramon Apolinario.

On Wednesday afternoon, Duterte appointed to the BuCor, but said he would extend the PNP chief’s tour of duty by two to three months “to suit the demands of the moment.”

If de la Rosa’s appointment to the BuCor pushes through, he charge, retired police chief superintendent Valfrie Tabian.

Tabian took over from Benjamin de los Santos, who resigned his post in July over allegations he took a bribe from a drug lord.

De la Rosa told reporters he couldn’t “refuse” President Duterte’s offer for him to be the new BuCor director.

“Who am I to refuse the President? He was my boss ever since and he will be my boss forever,” de la Rosa said.

The police chief claimed there was a resurgence of criminal activity inside prisons and said his job would be a to “pray over” the prisoners.

“How can you arrest someone who has already been arrested? How can you convict someone who’s already been convicted?” de la Rosa asked.

De la Rosa, who was police chief of Davao City when Duterte was mayor, was tapped to lead the administration’s anti-drug war under “Oplan Double Barrel” and “Oplan Tokhang,” in which police knocked on doors of drug suspects to appeal for their surrender. The encounters often turned bloody, however.

Government records show that at least 3,800 drug suspects were killed in police anti-drug operations, but local and international human rights groups have pegged the drug-related deaths during the Duterte administration at 13,000.

Senators back ‘Bato’

- win Gatchalian on Wednesday backed the President’s decision to appoint de la Rosa to the BuCor.

Lacson said the “drug lords serving time in the NBP must be quaking in their slippers at the thought of Bato (de la Rosa) in their midst practically 24/7.”

Gatchalian said de la Rosa was “known to be a tough and decisive leader.”

“We need someone with these qualities to completely overhaul the system inside BuCor and once and for all eliminate illegal drugs and corruption inside the facilities,” he said.

Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito said a BuCor stint would be a “very tough test for General Bato.”

“If he has plans to run for a position, the BuCor position given its present state, is a big challenge, and might be a make-or-break opportunity for General Bato,” Ejercito said.