Philippines ex-top cop Ronald dela Rosa to ‘independently’ probe his own drugs crackdown

Former police chief has been elected to Senate committee tasked with investigating operation Oplan Tokhang, which has left thousands dead

Activists say the decision presents a clear conflict of interest, with one calling it akin to ‘putting a fox in charge of the chicken coop’

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Published: 6:30pm, 27 Jul 2019Updated: 3:07pm, 28 Jul 2019

Philippine activists have decried the election of Ronald dela Rosa, a former police official and newly elected senator who presided over the early stages of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, to the head of a Senate committee scrutinising narcotics laws and their enforcement.

The former chief of the National Police, who retired from the force last April, will lead an independent inquiry into a controversial anti-drugs programme known as Oplan Tokhang – which he once led – prompting accusations of a conflict of interest.

The programme is the subject of a United Nations investigation into alleged human rights abuses. Authorities say about 6,600 people, including children, have been killed since 2016 as a result of Oplan Tokhang, but activists estimate the death toll to be at least 27,000.

Lawyer Ephraim Cortez, secretary general of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers, said there would be “no objectivity in the forthcoming probe”.

Dela Rosa (right) presided over the early stages of President Rodrigo Duterte’s (left) war on drugs. Photo: Reuters

Dela Rosa’s appointment was approved by his 23 fellow members of the upper chamber in the Philippines Congress, membership of which is seen as a springboard to a national leadership role.