Dela Rosa stands by decision to send erring cops to Marawi

MANILA, Philippines —Philippine National Police Director General Ronald Dela Rosa stands by his decision to send two erring Mandaluyong cops to Marawi City after they were caught on video caning ordinance violators.

Police Officers 1 Jose Tandog and Chito Enriquez of Mandaluyong City arrived in Marawi City this week as punishment for beating two men caught violating a local ordinance against drinking in public.

The incident, which was caught on video, showed Tandog beating two hapless civilians with a cane while Enriquez stood watching.

The video led Dela Rosa to send the two policemen to strife-torn Marawi City as their punishment and as a way for them to reform.

Dela Rosa said that the erring police officers would become “the best cops they could ever become” as he was sure that the two would be reformed during their stint in Mindanano.

“Sigurado ako mag-reform 'yan pag andito na sa Marawi, 100 percent magiging magagaling na pulis yan.,” he said, even challenging the media to bet on it.

This decision did not sit well with a local ARMM official or with Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.

Zia Alonto Adiong, an assemblyman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said Dela Rosa’s decision showed insensitivity as he maintained that Marawi City is not a “trash bin” for abusive policemen.

“To use the Marawi Seige as a punishment shows insensitivity. Hindi po tayo dito basurahan para sa mga abosado at tiwaling pulis ng Metro Manila,” Adiong said on his official social media account.

“Erring cops should be sued with administrative case. What they need is to face accountability not temporary punishment,” he said.

“To use the Marawi Seige as a punishment shows insensitivity. Hindi po tayo dito basurahan para sa mga abosado at tiwaling pulis ng Metro Manila,” Adiong said on his official social media account. “Erring cops should be sued with administrative case. What they need is to face accountability not temporary punishment,” he added.

Lorenzana said that “the best people” should be sent to Marawi to fight and not scalawags.

“Personally sana huwag. They should send the best people here because we need the good people to come here and fight this war. We do not need 'yung patapon dito kasi anong gagawin nun?” Lorenzana said in a media conference also attended by the PNP chief.

'We need good people'

Lorenzana sees another problem in sending rogue policemen to Marawi City.

He said that these officers could become troublesome for their commanding officers since their arrival in the town was forced and not voluntary.

The defense chief said that volunteers and good people were needed in the town of 200,000 people.

“Tsaka 'yung mga taong 'yun ayaw nila pumunta rito eh, napilitan lang eh. We need some good people, volunteers to come here to help in the problem. Now, if you throw people here who are problematic, bibigyan lang natin ng problema 'yung mga commanders dito,” he said.

Early this year, the PNP transferred scalawag policemen to Basilan, a move that was also criticized for making Mindanao a trash bin for rogue police officers.

The siege of Marawi City is now on its 45th day, and fighting still rages as security forces struggle to rid the capital of Lanao del Sur of the remaining Islamist militants still entrenched in its downtown district.

More than 450 have been killed so far while most of the city’s residents have been displaced as they fled to safety during the initial stages of the conflict.

The fighting started after a foiled attempt by the military and the police to arrest Isnilon Hapilon, an Abu Sayyaf subleader who was appointed emir of the so-called ISIS.

As the clashes spiraled out of control, President Rodrigo Duterte placed the entire island of Mindanao under martial law.