PNP Chief Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa and retired policeman SPO3 Arturo Lascañas. (INQUIRER file photos from EDWIN BACASMAS)
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Ronaldo “Bato” dela Rosa on Thursday dared retired police officer Arturo Lascañas to just file cases in court if he has evidence to support his claims against the Dutertes.
Lascañas alleged on Wednesday that Vice President Sara Duterte “instigated” the brutal anti-drug operation during the time of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.
The retired cop is a confessed Davao Death Squad gunman.
He also accused the former leader’s son, Davao city First District Paolo ‘Pulong’ Duterte, of allegedly leading a narcotic smuggling ring when he was still the city vice mayor.
Sought for comment, Dela Rosa asked Lascañas to just bring his allegations to court.
“Let him file all those cases in court if he has evidence now that Duterte is no longer President,” the senator said in a text message.
As then police chief, Dela Rosa spearheaded the bloody war against drugs during the Duterte administration.
The senator was also surprised by one of Lascañas’ allegations that the Vice President had “invented” the Oplan Tokhang (knock and plead) anti-drug operation with Dela Rosa.
This is supposedly to downgrade drug killings to mere kidnapping cases when the slain drug suspects inevitably went missing.
On orders of the two, Lascañas alleged that he was told to “just kidnap them and bury the bodies of the target [personalities] so that the cases end up as missing persons… because the media keep on asking about [the killings].”
“Bagong imbentong storya ‘yan ah! Wala ‘yan dati ah!” Dela Rosa said in another text message.
(That’s a newly invented story, huh! That wasn’t there before, huh!)
“Sabihan niyo lang siya to file cases sa korte kung may ebedensya siya; anyway, wala na man siyang katakutan at hindi na presidente si PRRD,” he added, referring to the former leader’s initials.
(Just tell him to file cases in court if he has evidence; anyway, he has nothing to fear, and PRRD is no longer the President.)
The senator earlier dismissed all other allegations by the retired police officer.
“Sige, go ahead, pabayaan mo lang syia mag-allege siya ng mag-allege. Basta malinis ang konsensya ko, bahala siya sa buhay niya,” he said in a brief interview at the Senate on Wednesday.
Representative Duterte previously denied any involvement in the illegal drug trade.
The lawmaker even filed cases against former Senator Antonio Trillanes for allegedly linking him to illegal drugs.