Solon jokes about former Davao City police chief succeeding Duterte

MANILA – For a lawmaker, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa would make a great successor for President Rodrigo Duterte.

In a light moment during the House Appropriations Committee hearing on the Department of Interior and Local Government's (DILG) budget proposal for 2017, Misamis Occidental Representative Henry Oaminal praised Dela Rosa's performance as head of the PNP, before saying in jest that the chief could become President Rodrigo Duterte's successor.

Earlier in the hearing, when the police chief arrived, Appropriations Committee Chair Karlo Nograles also introduced Dela Rosa as a "rock star."

Dela Rosa was in attendance during the DILG budget talks because the PNP is one of its attached agencies.

Duterte's term ends June 30, 2022. While he has not yet said who he would like to succeed him, he joked during the campaign period earlier this year that he would want Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. to be president after he steps down.

Duterte's running mate Senator Alan Peter Cayetano however downplayed this remark, and said Duterte was only "being playful," as he was talking to mayors in the province of Ilocos, a known Marcos stronghold.