Bato asks Tom: Work with police chiefs assigned to city

WELCOME SELFIE. Members of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) welcome their guest speaker PNP Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa with a selfie as he arrived at the Cebu Sports Club.
CDN Photo/Junjie Mendoza

CEBU City Mayor Tomas Osmeña should simply get along and work with whomever is assigned as city police chief rather than ask for his own, PNP Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said yesterday.

Dela Rosa told reporters during his visit to Cebu last Friday that he asked the mayor to just get along with any police officials assigned in his city.

“He is already the mayor of Cebu City. I hope he can work with everyone and police officers who are here (in Cebu). Wala naman tuyo ang police kun dili kaayuhan sa Cebu. Ilaha ang pagserbisyo diri sa Cebu (There are no other intentions by the police except for the good of Cebu. They are here to give their service in Cebu),” Dela Rosa said.

Two weeks ago, Osmeña proposed for the creation of a parallel organization to combat the illegal drug menace in Cebu City.

The mayor said this parallel organization would be headed by Senior Supt. Benjamin Santos, former Cebu City police chief, and Chief Supt. Patrocinio Comendador, former Police Regional Office chief in Central Visayas.

Osmeña said he will accept full responsibility for them if the PNP reinstates them to their former posts. But Dela Rosa asked the mayor to understand the nature of the PNP.

The PNP chief said their organization doesn’t have to cater to the preferences of the local officials.

“Unta we have to do our job without any condition (I hope we have to do our job without any condition),” he said.

In July last year, Dela Rosa apologized to Mayor Osmeña for the replacement of Santos and Comendador without being consulted first.