Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald M. dela Rosa, backed by a fresh presidential mandate to lead the police force, on Thursday declared that the “internal cleansing” of the PNP is set to go full blast in a process that will not spare erring members of the organization.
Dela Rosa said he will meet head on the perceived lack of discipline in the organization by having scalawag policemen arrested and fired from the service.
The PNP chief made the vow as he disclosed he had been told by Malacañang that his second extension had been made “indefinite.”
Dela Rosa added he has not thought of any other effective way to address rogue cops except arresting and removing them from the service.
“I have not thought of a more effective formula than what we are doing right now, we hit the problem head on. If there are corrupt policemen, mulcting cops, arrest them, if there are complaints, entrap them,” he said.
To intensify the campaign, dela Rosa activated the PNP-Counter Intelligence Task Force, which is primarily tasked to go after rogue cops.
“Moral-recovery programs and everything has been tried, but somehow all those approaches have failed. There is no other way but to hit the problem directly,” he said.
“If there are erring policemen, remove them from the service. That is the solution,” he added.
According to dela Rosa, the President told him about his second extension on Wednesday afternoon.
“He told me, Bato, you will be extended because we still have a lot of problems in the PNP. [I said] yes sir, as long as you wanted me, I am willing to help you,” dela Rosa narrated.
On Tuesday the President publicly announced that he will be extending dela Rosa beyond April, when the three-month initial extension would lapse. Dela Rosa was supposed to retire last month upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56.