Philippines’ ex-police chief admits rights abuses in Duterte’s drug war. Why now?

Ronald dela Rosa’s admission may have been an attempt to mitigate potential repercussions as the battle for midterm polls heats up, analysts say

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Men rounded up in 2016 as part of the “war on drugs” campaign of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Photo: AP

Published: 8:00am, 3 Jul 2024Updated: 11:41am, 3 Jul 2024

The Philippines’ former police chief has acknowledged human rights violations during ex-president Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs, admitting officers committed instances of abuse during the crackdown.

The admission by Ronald dela Rosa marks a significant shift from his previous stance when he staunchly defended the drug war against all accusations of rights violations, with analysts saying his comments may have been an attempt to mitigate potential repercussions as battle lines are drawn between Duterte and President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

Dela Rosa, who served as the head of the Philippine National Police (PNP) during the launch of Duterte’s drug war and is now a senator, said at a Senate forum on Thursday that each case related to the campaign should be treated and investigated separately as he lambasted efforts to lump the deaths into claims that crimes against humanity were committed.

“I did not say that there were no human rights violations occurring during the war on drugs. We acknowledge that there were cases where people’s rights have been violated, because if there weren’t, then there shouldn’t have been any cases filed against the police. There wouldn’t have been any police convicted and jailed,” he told lawmakers.

Then-Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (left) with Philippine National Police (PNP) director general Ronald Dela Rosa in 2017. Photo: AFP

Dela Rosa’s testimony comes amid an ongoing investigation by the House of Representatives into the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, where family members of slain victims have testified how police barged into their homes without warrants and killed their relatives, often on the grounds of mistaken identity.