Philippine National Police chief Dir. Gen. Ronald dela Rosa said he remains proud of the Mandaluyong police team that shot a wrong vehicle and killed two people, saying his men may have bungled the operations but they did not have ill intentions.
“Even if my policemen in Mandaluyong bungled the job, I can still say with pride that it happened because of their performance of duty,” Dela Rosa said in a press briefing on Tuesday.
“It is better that they are stupid but are pure of heart than intelligent but have ill intentions,” he added.
Dela Rosa also urged the leader of the police team to report to work after going absent without leave since the shooting Thursday night.
He said they would have to launch a manhunt for Senior Insp. Maria Cristina Vasquez, if a court issues a warrant of arrest against her and her colleagues.
He urged Vasquez to surrender if she did not want to be the subject of a manhunt.
Vasquez did not attend the inquest proceedings on the homicide and frustrated homicide charges filed against her and nine other police officers, nor did she report to the Regional Police Holding and Accounting Unit as ordered.
Jonalyn Ambaon, a victim of an earlier shooting, and one of six men who were taking her to hospital, were killed after police opened fire on their vehicle in the mistaken belief that it was the getaway car of the shooter.
Dela Rosa insisted the police officers did not act with ill intent because they acted on the wrong information.
He added that although they acted with regularity, they would have to answer for their mistakes.