News5 Digital’s “Isa Laban Sa Lahat” presentation, anchored by Luchi Cruz Valdes, got off to a rousing start with Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director-General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Presidential Communication Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar occupying the hotseats in a face-to-face with a select panel of journalists.
Dela Rosa acknowledged that there have been law enforcement shortcomings, such as lapses though not failures of intelligence: “When you say failure of intelligence, wala talagang info na nasagap. May nasagap naman tayo, na-underestimate lang natin (it implies we had nothing, but we had something, just that we underestimated it), that’s the right term.”
Dela Rosa partly attributed it to the prevailing security and cultural environment in the Islamic City of Marawi, adding that many law enforcers there are nor readily inclined to lock horns, so to speak, with private armed groups there.
For instance, given the prevalence of the rido, or clan feud, situation, when you incur somebody’s ire, you’re not the only one liable for acts of revenge or reprisal, even your family is at risk, Dela Rosa explained.
So, what he has in mind is a blanket overhaul in staffing of the police organization in Marawi, a complete and sweeping change of the guards: “I will put in place police officers from Luzon and the Visayas.”
Among other issues, Dela Rosa acknowledged that arguably the lowest point in his career was the killing by police officers of the Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo last year.
As for Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, he shared that much of his time presently is taken up by the rigors of running his office, which has cut into his public facing time.
But he was game enough to explain the context of that the controversial video produced by his office advocating martial law in Mindanao, which was taken down in the face of whittling public criticism, was that “it was in the perspective of … I was in Mindanao. So it wasn’t really a message for the entire Philippines.”
He maintained that having to remove the video was not a reflection of eroded credibility for his office, but rather, “it should be appreciated that this government listens to other people.”
