Bato upbeat about Bucor assignment

MANILA -- Outgoing Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald dela Rosa vowed on Tuesday, April 10, that he will succeed in addressing the problems at the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor).

“I will succeed, mark my word,” Dela Rosa said.

Dela Rosa was supposed

to have retired from the police service on January 21 but President Rodrigo Duterte ordered him to extend his service until April 21.

A week ago, Duterte announced the appointment of National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Oscar Albayalde as the new PNP chief who will take his oath on April 18.

Earlier, Dela Rosa said Duterte had already told him that from the PNP, he will take the leadership at the BuCor which has been tagged as the “most problematic” agency in the government "where everybody failed at."

“As to the details huwag na baka hindi pa ako maka-assume kasuhan na ninyo ako. I will not give you the details but I will tell you, mark my word I will succeed. Hindi ako magpapatalo sa mga drug lords na yan (I will triumph over the drug lords). As to how I will do it, just extend your wild imagination,” he said.

Dela Rosa said the first thing he would do upon taking the post is to account for all the suspected drug lords inside the National Bilibid Prison (NBP), who have allegedly continued their illegal transactions even while in detention.

“Pa-swear ko sila sa Bible na huwag na silang gumawa ng kalokohan dahil kapag sila ay gumawa ng kalokohan doble ‘yung kasalanan nila, kasalanan dito sa lupa, kasalanan sa langit hindi ba,” he said.

(I will have them swear with the Bible that they will stop their illegal activities. If they continue, they will be committing a sin not only here but also in heaven.)

“Kung meron pa man gumagawa ng kalokohan doon ngayon, I am not presuming, I am not assuming and prejudging them (that they have continued with their illegal activities) na gumagawa pa rin sila ng kalokohan. Just in case kung meron pa man gumagawa ng kalokohan in connivance with jailed drug lords stop it before I will stop you,” Dela Rosa warned.

The lawmakers at the House of Representatives earlier launched an investigation into the alleged proliferation of illegal drugs inside the NBP.

Several high-profile inmates testified during the hearings and tagged several government officials allegedly involved in the drug trade including Senator Leila de Lima, who is now detained over drug charges allegedly committed while she was Justice secretary.

Kerwin Espinosa, a selfconfessed drug lord, had testified that his source of illegal drugs were the high-profile inmates at the NBP particularly Peter Co. Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo/SunStar Philippines