1-Rider Party-list Rep. Bonifacio Bosita (Facebook)



Did policeman-turned-lawmaker Rep. Bonifacio Bosita of 1-Rider Party-list casually admit that a "quota system" was implemented in the Philippine National Police (PNP) during the time of former president Rodrigo Duterte? It sounds like it, based on his statements during the House Committee on Public Order's hearing on Thursday, April 27. Antipolo City 2nd district Rep. Romeo Acop chairs the committee, which discussed on Thursday a drug buy-bust case in Antipolo City that had tell-tale signs of police abuse. In his interpellation during the hearing, Bosita narrated his "personal experience" on he was relieved from his post as police station commander after he supposedly failed to fulfill a quota requirement in connection with the previous administration's anti-illegal drug campaign. “In fairness dito sa ating mga kapatid na police personnel, eh naniniwala ako, itong mga ‘to ay sumusunod lang. Meron kasi Mr. Chair na quota eh during my [time], naranasan ko po ‘yan (In fairness to our police brethren here, I believe that they are merely following orders. Mr. Chair, there was a quota during my time, I experienced it myself)," he said. As a station commander, Bosita said that he was given a drug watch list with 21 names on it. He said he managed to convince 20 of the personalities to surrender in less than a week's time. But despite this, he was still sacked. “Bumilang lang ng ilang araw nasibak ako sa pwesto (I counted mere days and I was removed fromy my post)...Kapag ikaw ay chief of police at hindi mo na-meet yung quota, parang ang ramdam mo anytime mare-relieve ka na eh (If you're the chief of police and you didn't meet the quota, you kind of feel like anytime you'll get relieved)," Bosita recounted. He also shared to the panel how he made 20 people surrender so quickly. “Nakipag-meet ako sa kanila, sinabi ko na mas makakaganda na i-surrender nila yung kanilang kapamilya na sinasabing involve sa illegal drugs (I met with their families, I told them that it would be better if they turned in their relatives who were involved with illegal drugs). "May magandang programa si Gen. [Ronald] Bato [dela Rosa], then Chief PNP, na kapag nag-surrender ka mag-undergo ka ang seminar being conducted by pastors or religious leaders…tatanggalin ka sa watchlist (Gen. Bato, then Chief PNP, had a good program wherein surrenderees were made to undergo seminars being conducted by pastors or religious leaders...you will be removed from the watchlist),” Bosita said. However, the 1-Rider solon said that a senior officer told him afterward that he was relieved because “mahina ka, pina-surrender mo lang yung 20 (you're weak, you merely had the 20 people surrender)". Dela Rosa, now a senator, served as the first PNP chief under the previous Duterte administration. Bosita's Wikipedia page says he is "a former police officer who was part of the Highway Patrol Group of the [PNP]. He was also Public Information Office Chief of the Cavite office of the PNP." He said he retired from the service early because of the quota system.