Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was expressing his support for the police force when he said he will never allow a police official and other officers involved in the killing of a suspected drug lord and an imate in jail to be imprisoned.

This was the statement of Director General Ronald Dela Rosa, chief of the Philippine National Police, when sought for comment on Duterte's statement on Thursday that Superintendent Marvin Marcos and other cops will not go to jail despite findings of the Natinoal Bureau of Investigation on their culpability for the killing of the late Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. last November.

"I will not allow these guys to go to prison even if the NBI says it was murder," Duterte said on Thursday.

Dela Rosa said this was not what Duterte meant.

"The president just want to express his support to the operating troops in our war on drugs by saying he does not want them imprisoned," Dela Rosa said in a press conference in Camp Crame.

This is to prevent cops from being demoralized as they might think Duterte is abandoning them when they face criminal and administrative cases.

Dela Rosa explained Duterte intends to exhaust all legal remedies to support Marcos' group. This includes giving them good lawyers and making an appeal once the case reaches trial and an arrest warrant is issued

"There could be an appeal from the issuing court to lower the charges from murder to homicide so they could post bail," he said.

Dela Rosa said Duterte told them he will never interfere in any investigation. "He is even telling the NBI to go ahead and file charges," said Dela Rosa.