EDITORIAL - Not by those who are suspect

The war against drugs during the previous administration saw many people killed unnecessarily, even those who weren’t involved in drugs at all. There is little wonder why the Senate now wants to look into what happened.

But then again the offer to carry out an investigation into the drug war as well as the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) that happened during that time came from the most unlikely as well as inappropriate of persons; Senator Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa himself.

Fortunately, Senate President Chiz Escudero advised De la Rosa against leading any investigation into the war against drugs and for now it seems De la Rosa is taking his advice

You probably know why we say it is inappropriate for De la Rosa to lead any investigation into the drug war and the EJKs that happened; as PNP chief during the time of the drug war, he is actually one of those being held responsible for the abnormally-high body count.

In essence, De la Rosa practically offered to investigate himself, former president Rodrigo Duterte, and all the others being blamed for orchestrating the bloody war, or at least allowing it to happen.

We have a hard time seeing De la Rosa being impartial in such an investigation. He would have to go after many policemen, former schoolmates in the academy, and former comrades-in-arms if he really wanted to take this seriously, and we just don’t see that happening.

Of course, we also don’t see De la Rosa declaring himself or his boss the former president or any of his cohorts under the same boss culpable of any crime. If for nothing else, De la Rosa can never be faulted for his loyalty.

Yes, the EJKs and the war against drug, seen more as a war against the poor and low-level drug pushers, deserves investigation by senators. But definitely not by those suspected to have blood on their hands.