MANILA, Philippines — Former Philippine National Police chief Nicholas Torre III on Friday said it was the duty of police officers to implement lawful warrants amid the possible arrest of Sen. Ronald dela Rosa in connection with the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into the Duterte administration’s drug war.
Speaking to media at The Manila Hotel, Torre said the issue should not be treated as a personal conflict between officials or politicians, but as part of the legal process that law enforcers were sworn to carry out.
“It’s not about me or Senator Bato. It is about a process. It is about a system. It is about a law. And it is about a job,” Torre said.
His remarks came as some Filipinos questioned whether dela Rosa would have been arrested if Torre were still serving as PNP chief.
Without directly addressing the criticism against the current PNP leadership, Torre said police officers could not selectively enforce or choose whether to implement a warrant or not.
“The job of the police is not to judge the case but to implement the processes and in this case, the warrant,” he said.
Torre added that several lawyers and legal authorities have stated that the warrant against dela Rosa was legal and enforceable.
He said authorities should “protect the process” and allow the legal system to “roll in its natural course,” stressing that institutions and the interests of the country must come first.
Dela Rosa himself was a former PNP chief under the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
The senator, who has since been branded a fugitive by government after theSupreme Court denied his petition to stop an arrest order by the ICC, has been considered an enforcer of Duterte's war on drugs, which is the cornerstone of the former leader's case as he stands trial before the world court for alleged crimes agaist humanity.
