AMID public clamor to tap the person behind the arrest of high-profile fugitives, former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Nicolas Torre hinted at accepting the call to arrest the elusive Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa — but with a twist.
According to Torre, who now serves as general manager of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), he just might be able to help arrest Dela Rosa, should the latter be spotted in his turf.
In a media forum, Torre in a tongue-in-cheek answer told journalists — “As long as there is information that the senator is in a landfill, in waterways, or rivers, we can [help],” a response that elicited boisterous laughter among the people in attendance.
Pressed further, Torre replied — “If he’s in the MMDA area, in the streets, under a canal, in the sewers, yes, we can.”
During his stint as PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) director, Torre arrested the likes of former presidential spiritual adviser Apollo Quiboloy.
In March last year, Torre accepted a challenge that other senior police officers declined to execute — to clamp down former President Rodrigo Duterte in view of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity.
As the laughter simmered down, Torre explained that the MMDA could only assist in areas under its jurisdiction, noting that other agencies also have their own designated responsibilities.
“In other areas that fall under the responsibility of other offices, then they should be the ones to do the job,” explained Torre, adding that arresting Dela Rosa requires a “whole of government approach.”
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has already ordered Dela Rosa’s arrest on the basis of an ICC warrant after the Supreme Court rejected the senator’s plea for a temporary restraining order. The DOJ order covers the PNP and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
On a more serious note, Torre reminded men in uniform and other law enforcement agencies that they are duty-bound to implement legal processes and warrants regardless of personalities involved.
“In my view, this is institutional. It’s not about a person. It’s not about me. It’s not about Senator Bato. It is about a process. It is about a system. It is about a law. And it is about a job,” he said.
“The authorities themselves are saying the warrant is legal and can be implemented, and for me, we have to respect the process. Let the system work,” Torre added.
Police officers, he added, cannot choose which legal orders to implement.
“The job of the police is not to judge the case, but to implement the processes, and in this case, the warrant… So they have to do it, protect the process, let it roll in its natural course.”
He said that, ultimately, authorities must prioritize protecting institutions and safeguarding the country’s interests above all else.
Torre likewise reaffirmed that the MMDA is prepared to cooperate should investigators request CCTV footage from areas surrounding the Senate complex.
“I think there was a letter circulating online that was supposedly going to be delivered to the MMDA today,” he said.
“Whatever the investigating authorities need, and whatever the other agencies of the government need, the MMDA is ready to cooperate, and we will give them all the information that is in our database,” he said.