Guam senators cancel meeting with Dela Rosa
MANILA — Several lawmakers in Guam canceled the scheduled meeting with former Philippine National Police chief Ronald Dela Rosa, citing his involvement as the top enforcer in the Philippine government's brutal war on drugs.
Several media outlets in Guam such as The Guam Daily Post and Pacific News Daily reported that Dela Rosa was supposed to meet with local senators in the Guam Congress Building for a “courtesy visit.”
Dela Rosa, who now heads the Bureau of Corrections, was also expected to visit Guam's prison facilities.
But Sen. Dennis Rodriguez Jr., who invited Dela Rosa, canceled the visit to the Guam Congress Building Friday night, following a criticism of a fellow lawmaker.
Sen. Telena Nelson, who chairs the legislative committee overseeing public safety, said the visit of Dela Rosa would send “the wrong message.”
“Law enforcement officials in Guam and throughout the world must protect the judicial system, not act outside of it. When numerous human rights organizations allege that thousands of lives were taken without due process, each of us have an obligation to say no—not stand there for photos,” Nelson said.
Rodriguez was quoted as saying by the Pacific Daily News said that several senators backed out of the visit following Nelson's criticisms.
During his stint as the country's top cop, Dela Rosa had been heavily criticized for being on the forefront of the government's bloody campaign against illegal narcotics, which has killed thousands of individuals, mostly urban slum dwellers.