Bato warns Duterte’s critics: There will be war

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa yesterday dared detractors to try and topple President Duterte, saying they are ready to wage war against their enemies.

“You want a coup d’etat? Then let’s have a coup d’etat. Let’s have war,” Dela Rosa said.

“I’m challenging you. You want to bring down the Duterte administration? Over my dead body,” he added.

Dela Rosa was asked during in an interview on the sidelines of the alumni homecoming at the Philippine Military Academy in Baguio City if he thinks opponents of Duterte can bring the government down.

Dela Rosa belittled any attempt to oust Duterte, whom he said was elected by majority of Filipinos and remains popular.

Dela Rosa, the President’s chief enforcer of his anti-drug campaign, vowed to defend Duterte from power grabbers, saying he is not worried about possible moves to oust the current administration.

Critics bewailed Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs, citing the thousands of alleged drug suspects killed and human rights abuses committed by law enforcers.

The latest report from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said over 4,000 have been killed by police.

Dela Rosa said Duterte never ordered the killing of drug suspects.

He said the President would never order the murder of fellow Filipinos. He added Duterte’s incendiary remarks calling for the deaths of people involved in illegal drugs is to get the message across to those involved in drugs and other illegal activities.

“We are not hiding anything, they will discover during the investigation that there was no instruction from the President,” he said.

Dela Rosa said they are ready to prove before the International Criminal Court (ICC) that there is no state-sponsored killings in the government’s war on illegal drugs.

Dela Rosa welcomed the ICC’s move setting an initial review of the Duterte administration’s drug war, adding they will prove the allegations of critics are wrong.