PNP rejects ‘shoot-to-kill’ calls vs Dela Rosa, insists on due process

MANILA — The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday rejected calls for a “shoot-to-kill” approach against Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, stressing that police must follow due process in implementing the arrest warrant against the former police chief.

PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said law enforcement officers are not authorized to take the law into their own hands, regardless of the personality they are pursuing.

“The PNP does not subscribe to a shoot-to-kill approach. Our mandate is to enforce the law, not to take the law into our own hands,” Nartatez said in a statement.

He stressed that all police operations must uphold human rights and the rule of law, warning against the use of excessive force.

The PNP statement came after Cagayan de Oro 1st District Rep. Lordan Suan denied social media posts falsely attributing to him a call for a “shoot-to-kill” resolution against Dela Rosa.

Suan said the circulating statement was fabricated.

Dela Rosa remains the subject of an arrest warrant in connection with crimes against humanity charges before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The one-week deadline given by the PNP for the senator to surrender expired on October 30, with authorities continuing intelligence and monitoring efforts to establish his whereabouts and implement the warrant.

Nartatez said the public’s demand for accountability should not come at the expense of legal safeguards.

“We understand the public’s desire for accountability, but justice must never be pursued at the expense of the law,” he said.

He directed police units to exercise maximum restraint and ensure that any operation to serve the warrant observes proportionality and respect for human rights.

“The credibility of law enforcement rests not only on our ability to enforce the law but on our discipline in doing so within the limits prescribed by law,” Nartatez said.