FULL TRANSCRIPT: PNP Chief Ronald dela Rosa

Q: Where are the police now re war on illegal drugs?

A: Fighting drugs is divided into 2 sectors. One is the supply side and
the demand side. For the supply side, we can say that we are now at
the 70 to 80 percent in our war on drugs. Because based on the prices
of shabu right now, it has gone very very high because of the scarcity of
the supply. While on the demand side, we can say that we are about
almost 50 percent based on the number of surrenderees that we have
processed. Our target was to get 1.8 (million) drug personalities to
either surrender, arrested, neutralized during police operations. So 1.8
million. Right now we have about almost 800 thousand surrenderers
and 35 thousand arrested drug offenders, and the almost 2 thousand
plus killed during police operations. All in all it is almost account to 50
percent of the target.

Q: When will the PNP eradicate the threat of drugs?

A: If there are no more precursors coming in to the Philippines
and there are no processing plants or shabu laboratories that are used
in cooking up shabu then I think no more shabu will come to the
Philippine soil.

Q: Is PNP close to their target?

Yeah, as of now we have an estimated around 70 to 80 percent on that
particular aspect-- the supply side.

Q: On Duterte's 6-month extension on war vs illegal drugs

A: Yes, we are very optimistic. We are very positive that we are going to
fulfill his promise to the Filipino people.

Q: On war vs drug's phase 2

A: We are in the process of building a case against them (drug-related
personalities) We are on the process of collecting all available
information and intelligence about these people. So, we are still on the
process of building cases against them.

Q: On how PNP could bring drug personalities to the court

A: It's really very difficult. Because our handicap is, in terms of
legislation, our law is not so cooperative with the police operations. It is
more on the side of the criminal offenders. Their rights are being
protected very well by the law. But then again, as police officers, we
have to enforce the law. And we are trying to come up with the
legislation, we are trying to lobby with the Congress on some legislation
that could help us on war on drugs. Like for example, the modification of
the anti-wiretapping law where only crimes related to terrorism are
allowed to be given exemption on that law; the wire tapping law. In other
words, you can conduct wire tapping operations on suspected terrorists
only, not drug offenders, not drug traffickers, not druglords. We are
trying to amend the law by the Congress that drug trafficking, drug
offenders must be included in the exemption.

Q: How cooperative is the DOJ on war vs drugs?

There's no problem with the Department of Justice because we are one
on this war. The problem is with the courts. They are not under the
Executive branch. They are under the Judiciary. So that's where we
have problems. But I have said we have some adjustments.

Q: How the PNP collects info, intelligence reports?

We do it mostly through human intelligence, the basic form of
intelligence gathering.

Q: Further steps on war vs drugs?

We cannot say that there is an end. We have to adjust the emerging
situations, so it depends. If the Phase 2 will be completely successful,
then I think we can say that's enough. It's enough. We can really
achieve the zero drug affectation; no more barangay in the Philippines
is drug-affected, that means zero drug affectation. That's the most ideal
target that we want to achieve that we want t hear.

Q: On drug-related policemen
We are investigating them. We are investigation them. Some of them
are being persecuted right now. We cannot say that we are already
scalawag-free organization. There are still others that trying to do their
illegal activities but at least they are aware that we are watching them
and we are after them. And the public is cooperating, the public is aware
that the PNP leadership doesn't tolerate any abuse, any involvement in
the drug trade or other forms of criminality. The public is aware, the
people are aware of that, so, they are cooperating with the PNP
leadership and they are going after these scalawags in uniform.

Q: The changes in PNP

For the erring cops, you have to hard on them. So that they can feel that
you are really serious and they really will dealt with accordingly. For the
good cops, they motivate them more, regardless of whatever, even if it
will cost your life, we have to continue this war on drugs because this is
our mandate, this is our duty.We have to prefer duty even if it will cost
our life.

Q: Percentage of errant cops

As far as numbers, there are not really great numbers, just a small
numbers fraction. We have 190 thousand strong including the
ununiformed personnel and there's a small fraction of this 190 thousand
are into drugs. But since they are members of the National Police force,
their misdeeds are being magnified. So as far as numbers, I don't have
a problem. Right now, this is decreasing and we are almost done with
them. We just hope we continue to be successful in running after these
policemen who are involved in drugs.

Q: Drugs in prison
Before, the New Bilibid was not considered by the people, the convicted
criminals, was not considered as a prison facility. They considered it as
fortress, that whenever they're inside, they are protected and they can
do what ever they wanted to do. Because they are protected and thy
are safe; they run the business inside the prison cell. Right now, the
situation is reversed. They can feel already that the Bilibid is becoming
a prison facility with the new administration, with the new group of
people from the Special Action Force who are the ones guarding the
gates, manning the perimeter. They can feel it that can't do what they
used to do where they can run the drug business from, within the Bilibid,
they hold the drug business in the whole country. They are the ones
ordering the finish products or precursors coming from other countries,
shipping it inside the Philippines. They are also in-charged in having
them processed and also the distribution of these drugs. They are the
ones running the show. So, right now, they cannot longer do that
because it's like, they are still there but they are not capable of... We
have a directive on the use of cellphones, the use of WiFi, the use of
electronics for communication. They use those for communication.

Q: How do they get so much power

There was corruption. Really there was corruption. They can easily
corrupt the people inside. There was really corruption.

Q: Local gov't officials involved in drugs

We treat them as ordinary criminals. These people are... If we go hard
on street-level pushers, the more that we should go hard with these
high value targets. These people who are placed in the government,
who are elected by the people to serve the people and yet they do
criminal activities, so, they are much accountable to the people. They
should be dealt accordingly. So, we are running after them, a lot of
them, from barangay captains to mayors to congressmen, even
governors, a lot of them. And also our own people; high-ranking officers
who are involved.

Q: How PNP addresses the widespread drug issue in constitutions

You cannot address this if you can't come clean. You must be sure that
if you want to change the whole system, you must come clean. I'm
proud to say, I am clean. Nobody can impute any illegal activities on me
as far as drugs and other forms of corruption. I must be frank, that why I
am very bold coming out with my actions against these people because
I know I'm clean. God knows I'm clean... To lead by example.

Q: Biggest challenge
The biggest challenge is the degree of affectation of the community. The
drug problem has become a widespread. We did not expect it to be like
this until we took the range of the government and we found out what
really is happening, how grave is the drug problem, how far reaching,
how deep is the roots. So, it's a very very complicated situation. That's
what we are facing right now. Very, very big challenge.

Q: How did it get so big? Never a priority in the previous admin?

It's only them who could answer that question. Why didn't they take this
problem seriously. How I wish they have taken this seriously. Otherwise
it could've gone this big. This problem could've gone this bad. Because
you know, treating it as least priority. Unlike President Duterte, we know
very well while he was still the Mayor of Davao City, drugs is the No. 1
priority. That's why when he became the president, he told me that this
is our number 1 priority-- the drug problem.

Q: Extrajudicial killings; PNP is not part of it; addressing this issue

All these deaths under investigation or otherwise known as vigilante
killings or extrajudicial killings, they are all being investigated.
Investigations are on-going. And some of these cases are already
solved and some cases are being filed in courts.

Q: Who are the people behind the extra judicial killings?

Some of them, most of them are drug-personalities also, drug killing
themselves because they fear that this other group will inform the
government authorities about drug involvement. Some of them are also
within their group. The higher, the upward ranking of the drug syndicate
are trying to kill the people under them because of failure to remit the
money, the drug proceeds. They are trying to kill these people. There
are also killings that are perpetrated by some of the policemen involved
and they are being investigated right now. Some of them are already
being persecuted in courts.

I don't mean the vigilante killings, but the killings of (drug pushers).
Yeah, yeah. The drug pushers.

Q: Operation TokHang across the Philippines

Well you can see the number of surrenderers is increasing day by day
because of the Oplan Tokhang. It's very successful. You can just
imagine almost 800 thousand people are surrendering to the police
stations because of they're being knocked on their doors and they were
being pleaded upon by the police officers to "please stop what you are
doing. That's illegal. Please, mend your ways." We've been very
successful and a lot of information are coming out into the open
because of this Oplan Tokhang. Some people are giving, volunteering
very good information about the drug business. So we can really say
that it's very successful.

Q: On the police ops on druglords

It's becoming very complicated. Because we cannot, as I've said, our
handicap is the legislation. We cannot just do our thing without seeing
to it that all our actions are accordance with the law. So we have to do
everything in accordance with the rule of law. And these druglords are
wise. They are very powerful. They have a lot of connections with the
police, with the prosecutors, with the judges, with the jail authorities,
with the politicians, with the media. They are really very very powerful.
They can destroy you anytime because of their money. But this time, we
are the one who will destroy them. We will destroy them.

Q: What does the PNP need to crackdown the drug problem

Restoration of death penalty is number 1 in our agenda. These people
are very brave in trafficking drugs into the Philippines because they
know that other countries, other neighboring countries have death
penalties as far as drugs is concerned, only in the Philippines they are
free from death penalty.

Q: If PH will have death penalty

It will become deterrent. It will become a crime deterrent. If they see that
drug traffickers, druglords are being sentenced by death penalty, that
would be a very big deterrent.

Q: How he describes Duterte

He's the best leader that I have ever known. A very good leader. For
me, he's the best leader. He's always there.

Q: The Duterte that the people don't see

You know, foreign media, national media, most of them have a very
limited interaction with the President before he became a president.
Unlike the local media of Davao City, if you ask the local media of
Davao City,they know the president very well. They know that this
person is not only after of anything else but he's after the welfare of the
greater majority. He wants the Philippines to be great again. Again or to
be great once and for all. He doesn't take of himself. He is a very simple
man. The local media of Davao knows him very well. That's why there is
a very big difference on the reactions of this local media and the
national media and even the international media whenever the
President is cursing some words. They get used to him. Because for
them, what he says is negligible compared to what he does, for the local
media. He does great things for the people.