Abang Lingkod Party-list Rep. Stephen Paduano and Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa (right). INQUIRER FILES/Abang Lingkod Party-list Facebook page and Senate PRIB
MANILA, Philippines — Abang Lingkod Party-list Rep. Stephen Paduano criticized Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa’s actions during the Senate Blue Ribbon committee probe into the Duterte administration’s “drug war.”
Paduano said the senator’s behavior during the hearing was “disappointing” and “undermines the integrity of the institution that he is bound to respect,” noting the irony of dela Rosa doing the investigation of the brutal anti-drug drive when the senator played a role in the controversial campaign when he was chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) – the main enforcer of the war on drugs.
Paduano even offered a reminder to dela Rosa “to observe courtesy and greatness in conducting his official responsibility as a member of the Senate” and pointed out that the senator should have “offered himself as a resource person” instead.
READ: Duterte allowed to speak first at Senate ‘drug war’ probe
“He also admitted that there were killings attributed to the war because of alleged cases of gun violence. In short, he was not only involved but was in fact one of the figureheads of the campaign during its inception,” Paduano said.
“Clearly, this is a conflict of interest on his part. At the very least, he should have inhibited from the proceedings and instead offered himself as a resource person so as not to influence and intimidate the other guests,” he added.
Paduano further lamented that the senator continued to “conduct himself in a manner contrary to what is expected from a member of Congress” during the Senate panel hearing.
For instance, Paduano mentioned how dela Rosa “defended and interpreted” a plain statement of former President Rodrigo Duterte that the senator was part of the “Davao Death Squad.”
“Senator De La Rosa complained saying, claiming that the former president was just joking and there was no death squad to speak of,” the House lawmaker noted.
“Clearly, the confirmation by the former president needed no interpretation much less from a member of the parliament who investigated the case. If you would ask me, it is as if the honorable senator came to the defense of the former president while seeking to exonerate himself from any liability,” Paduano stressed.
READ: Diokno: House can focus on Dela Rosa’s ‘drug war’ memo
“This is further highlighted by his present statement that he will be objective in the action of the Senate regarding the submission of records to the ICC (International Criminal Court). The Honorable Senator’s recent actions are truly disappointing,” he added.
Last October 28, former President Duterte said that the term “death squad” was loosely used, as he revealed that all former PNP chiefs, particularly dela Rosa, retired police Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao, and retired Gen. Archie Gamboa, and retired Gen. Debold Sinas, led death squads.
Dela Rosa, however, claimed that Duterte’s remarks were just jokes.
Dela Rosa likewise clarified that the term “neutralized” in an Oplan Tokhang memorandum he signed in 2016 was meant to “convince” suspected drug users to “surrender for them not to commit further crimes.”
INQUIRER.net sought the side of Senator dela Rosa’s office regarding Paduano’s remarks but it has yet to reply as of posting time.