Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa said he and his fellow former police chiefs want Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) Senior Vice President Raul Villanueva to name the former top cop who helped dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo flee the country.
Speaking to reporters at a press conference on Wednesday, Dela Rosa said the former chiefs of the Philippine National Police (PNP) have a group chat.
“[Doon] sila [naglalabas ng] concern, bakit ganon?” he said.
(They aired their concerns there, asking why it was like that?)
“Yun naman ang gusto nila, klaruhin kung sino ang involved, hindi ‘yung hindi pa malinaw ang impormasyon, hindi pa confirmed [ay] nagpapalabas kaagad. So what if hindi ma-validate ‘yan? Sira ang pangalang former chief PNP, di ba? Sira na. Eh lahat kami eh, galing doon sa pinaka latest na chief PNP na nagretiro up to the oldest living chief PNP [who] is General Renato de Villa. Lahat kami apektado,” he added.
(That’s what they want, clarify those who are involved, unlike this when the information is not yet confirmed, and yet it was already revealed. So what if it doesn’t get validated? The name former PNP chief is already tarnished, right? All of us, from the latest chief PNP who retired up to the oldest living chief PNP, who is General Renato de Villa. All of us are affected.)
On Tuesday, Villanueva said a former PNP chief allegedly received bribes to help Guo and her companions – Shiela and Wesley Guo – escape from the country despite being under an immigration lookout bulletin.
“Dapat [ay] klaruhin ng accuser. Ang nag-akusa, bigyan niya ng substance ang kanyang akusasyon, otherwise hindi dapat niya yan ilabas,” Dela Rosa said, adding that he would do his all to extract the truth from Villanueva in the next hearing.
(The accuser needs to clarify this. The one who accuses should give his accusation a substance, otherwise, it shouldn’t be disclosed.)
He then admitted to believing that Villanueva was wrong for disclosing the reports they received even without evidence.
“You cannot pin down anybody through intelligence reports because intel reports have no evidentiary value and cannot stand in court. So dapat bago nila nilabas yun, kinonfirm muna. Vinalidate nang husto at once validated, dapat alamin kung sino talaga ‘yun at isabi ang pangalan,” Dela Rosa said.
(So before they disclose it, I hope they confirm it first. They should have validated it and once validated, they should have checked and disclosed the name.)
Dela Rosa also said he wondered if the allegation was only part of a grand political plan, but he did not elaborate.
READ: Ex-PNP chief allegedly took bribe to help Alice Guo, siblings flee PH