Duterte: Go didn’t call PNP chief about official’s reinstatement

UPDATED: 9:44 p.m.

President Rodrigo Duterte denied on Friday Sen. Leila de Lima’s claim that presidential aide Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go called Director General Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), asking him to reinstate Supt. Marvin Marcos as chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Region 8.

“Huwag kayong maniwala na si Bong Go ang tumawag kay General Bato,” Duterte said in his speech at the graduation of the PNP-Highway Patrol Group Motorcycle Riding Course in Davao City.

Go is the head of the Presidential Management Staff (PMS).

On Thursday, De Lima, citing sources, identified Go as the one who made a call to De la Rosa about the reinstatement of Marcos.

But Duterte was vague on the identity of the caller.

“Whom can we identify?” he said. “Maybe the retired police officer who is now undersecretary of the DILG. What’s the name again? Cuy.”

He was referring to retired Chief Supt. Catalino Cuy, the predecessor of De la Rosa as chief of the Davao City Police Office.

Cuy held the post during Duterte’s term as mayor.

Duterte also defended De la Rosa for reinstating Marcos, saying it was the police chief’s prerogative and that a case was still being built against the reinstated official.

“Prerogative ni Bato yan, maski sabihin na criminal yan,” he said. “Let the law takes its own course.”

(“That’s the prerogative of Bato, even if Marcos is accused of being a criminal.”)

The president also defended Chief Supt. Asher Dolina, who was chief of the Eastern Visayas Police Regional Office, saying he was “clean,” contrary to the statement of self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa at a House hearing that the official had received P6 million in drug money.