No ‘shoot-to-kill’ order vs Bato — PNP
The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday ruled out issuing a “shoot-to-kill” order against Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa who is facing an international arrest warrant, stressing that the police must respect human rights and observe due process.
PNP chief Police Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the police would not resort to excessive force in carrying out its mandate, regardless of the identity of the person being hunted.
“The PNP does not subscribe to a shoot-to-kill approach. Our mandate is to enforce the law, not take it into our own hands. Every operation must be guided by due process, respect for human rights, and the rule of law,” Nartatez said.
He acknowledged the public calls for accountability but stressed that justice must not come at the expense of legal safeguards.
“Justice is strengthened not by excessive force but by faithful enforcement of the law,” he said.
Nartatez reminded the police to exercise maximum restraint and observe proportionality in any operation, as he directed them to continue their monitoring and intelligence-gathering to find Dela Rosa.
His statement came amid social media posts calling for extreme measures against Dela Rosa, who is facing an arrest warrant in connection with crimes against humanity charges before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
No such call
Rep. Lordan Suan of Cagayan de Oro’s 1st District earlier denied social media posts attributing to him a call for a “shoot-to-kill” resolution against the senator.
In a separate advisory, the Police Regional Office 11 appealed to Dela Rosa to surrender peacefully, assuring him that the police would take only necessary and legally justified action.
The regional police office said it was confident the former PNP chief understood the importance of respecting the law.
It added that Dela Rosa’s peaceful surrender would prevent possible injuries to police personnel and other untoward incidents.
Meanwhile, Palace Press Officer and Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was not frustrated with the DILG and PNP over their failure to locate Dela Rosa, who has been out of public view for six months.
Castro said the President remained confident in the police leadership as long as personnel continued to perform their duties. However, she warned the situation would be different if police officers were found to be sheltering the senator.
“The President is not showing any frustration as long as he sees that the police and DILG leadership are performing their duties. The only problem would be if it is established that police officers themselves are harboring Senator Bato dela Rosa to prevent his arrest,” Castro said in a Palace briefing.
She reminded the PNP that its mandate is to enforce the law and implement valid court orders, stressing that officers cannot choose whether or not to arrest Dela Rosa simply because he was a former police chief.
“You have a mandate to enforce the law and carry out orders that are consistent with the Constitution. There is a valid arrest warrant, so you cannot decide whether or not to arrest Senator Bato dela Rosa simply because he was once your chief,” she said.
Castro also expressed confidence that Nartatez would fulfill his sworn duty rather than allow personal ties with his former superior to influence police operations.
“We believe in the competence of our police force and know they will fulfill their mandate. General Nartatez gives us that impression for now, so do not prove otherwise,” she said.
Dela Rosa’s one-week deadline to surrender expired on 30 October.
Pulong’s challenge
Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte, meanwhile, challenged the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the PNP to present a valid arrest warrant, warning that any arrest without one would amount to kidnapping.