BATO URGES QUADCOM TO FOCUS ON CRIME, NOT POLICE DETENTIONS

Sen. Bato Dela Rosa has called on the House Quad Committee to shift its focus to investigating the rising prevalence of crime in the country rather than detaining former and current police officers who serve the nation in good faith—an investigation he could also conduct as Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs.

Dela Rosa, a former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, made the statement after visiting the wake of Reynaldo Bigno Jr., who was fatally shot by a policeman allegedly under the influence of drugs inside a passenger bus in Makilala, Cotabato.

"Ayun dapat ang imbestihan ng QuadComm, 'yung mga ganyang insidente ba, na bakit dumadami na ngayon ang mga taong kriminal na malakas na ang loob mamaril ng pulis," Dela Rosa said.

He criticized the Quad Committee's decision to cite officers like Gen. Wilkins Villanueva in contempt, adding, "Hindi 'yung mga pulis na nagtatrabaho ng maayos. Katulad ni Gen. Wilkins Villanueva...cinite in contempt pa nila, 'di ba?"

Villanueva was allegedly involved in the warrantless arrest of Jed Pilapil Sy, the wife of drug personality Allan Sy, who was implicated in a 2004 anti-drug operation at a shabu laboratory in Dumoy, Davao City.

Dela Rosa argued that criminals are emboldened because the QuadCommittee targets authorities in its investigations. However, data suggests otherwise; crime rates during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs were higher compared to the Marcos administration’s anti-illegal drug campaign.

"Kaya mas lalong lumakas loob ng mga kriminal, lumakas ang loob ng mga drug pusher, ng mga drug lord dahil wala na silang kinakatakutan. Hindi na sila natatakot sa mga awtoridad dahil 'yung awtoridad, iniipit nila sa Quadcom," he said.

Despite evidence disproving his claim, he also pointed to the resurgence of drug-related activities, saying, "Dumami na naman ang adik, matapang na naman 'yung mga pusher, matapang na naman 'yung mga drug lord, carnapper."

A Pulse Asia survey conducted from November 26 to December 3, 2024, revealed that 61% of Filipinos favor the QuadCommittee's investigation into the links among illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), the illicit drug trade, land grabbing by some Chinese nationals, and the alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) associated with the Duterte administration's bloody war on drugs.

Dela Rosa visited Pat Russel Tapia, one of the two PNP officers who were shot and wounded by the same policeman involved in the Bigno incident.

In a Facebook post, the senator criticized narco-politicians for their role in the proliferation of illegal drugs, sarcastically urging them to take responsibility for the consequences of their actions.

"Shoutout to all drug lords, drug protectors and politicians who contributed to the proliferation of illegal drugs! Sagutin naman ninyo ang bayad ng punerarya! Meron din sana kayong corporate social responsibility sa laki ng business ninyo!" he wrote.

Dela Rosa, who spearheaded the Duterte administration's war on drugs as PNP chief in 2016, emphasized the need to continue the campaign against illegal drugs, describing their proliferation as a major driver of criminal activity in the Philippines.

A Pulse Asia survey conducted from November 26 to December 3, 2024, revealed that 61% of Filipinos favor the QuadCommittee's investigation into the links among illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), the illicit drug trade, land grabbing by some Chinese nationals, and the alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) associated with the Duterte administration's bloody war on drugs.