President Bato?

PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa has dropped broad hints he is planning to run for president.

Why not? This is a democracy. Anyone, perhaps even a former PNP chief, could become a president.

Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, a former PNP chief, once ran for president. Well, he’s not yet the president.

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Bato said he will quadruple the pay for police retirees once he becomes president.

“Wait until I become President. I will quadruple your salary,” he sai d.

The retirees were grinning from ear to ear upon hearing those words. But coming from someone who wants to be president, they must have taken them with a grin, yes, a grin of salt.

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Sen. Lacson said Bato’s statement was a “good sound bite.”

But was he not merely repeating the words of President Rody Duterte, who promised to double the pay of men and women in uniform?

Bato is still in active service but he is already behaving like a politician. He’d make more promises when he becomes one.

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Bato is set to retire when he turns 56 on Jan. 21 next year. He may run for the Senate in 2019.

He earlier called on Vice President Leni Robredo to set aside her presidential ambitions.

Robredo found it funny. She said Bato will know she has presidential ambitions once she also puts up mascots and standees in shopping malls.•••

But General Bato should learn a lesson or two from former Vice President Jojo Binay.

Binay was the first to declare his intention to run for president and quickly became the target of relentless attacks.

Binay, the first to cast his lot in the presidential derby, got the most stones.