Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa. INQUIRER.net file photo / CATHY MIRANDA
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa smelled “something fishy” when he discovered that two inmates had been staying for months or even years in the hospital of the New Bilibid Prison.
Dela Rosa, who served as head of the Bureau of Corrections from May to October 2018, identified the inmates as Amin Boratong and Raymond Dominguez.
Boratong was the leader of the notorious “shabu tiangge” in Pasig City, while Dominguez was convicted for the killing of car dealer Venson Evangelista in 2011.
Evangelista is the son of Arsenio “Boy” Evangelista, now president of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption.
Dela Rosa mentioned Boratong and Dominguez when asked about the so-called “hospital pass for sale” at the Bilibid.
“Nagdududa ako dyan pero hindi ko alam na mayroong ganun,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
“Pero duda ako something fishy was going on dahil nga nagtataka ako, bakit ‘yung mga drug lord na kagaya ni Amin Boratong sa Pasig shabu tiangge, si Raymond Dominguez ‘yung pumatay sa anak ni Evangelista na carnapper na ultimately naging drug lord na rin palaging naka-confine sa hospital,” he added.
So when he was at the Bilibid, Dela Rosa said he immediately asked those drug lords in the hospital to return to Building 14.
He recalled telling hospital doctors to just go to Building 14 if they want to take care of their sick patients.
“Alagaan mo ‘yan doon, huwag dito dahil ginagamit itong hospital sa transaksyon sa kanilang droga doon sa hospital,”said the senator.
It was Boratong whom the senator suspects to have been in and out of the hospital for months or even years.
Dominguez, meanwhile, had been allegedly complaining of stomach problems, Dela Rosa said.
The senator said he had it investigated, but there was no evidence to support his suspicions.
It was Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, who first exposed the alleged hospital pass scheme involving high profile inmates and some hospital officials. /je