Dela Rosa on Senate drug war probe: ‘They can interrogate me’

Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa. Photo from the Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa on Thursday offered himself as a resource person for the upcoming Senate probe into the Duterte administration’s drug war.

Dela Rosa, who served as the Philippine National Police chief under former President Rodrigo Duterte, is also open to being on the hot seat on the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee hearing on Monday, Oct. 28.

“I am also offering myself as a resource person…The public deserves to know the truth. Just watch and learn this Monday,” Dela Rosa said in an interview.

“They can ask me, they can interrogate me, they can interpellate me anytime they want…I am a member of the panel but I am also open to questions coming from my colleagues as a resource person,” he added.

READ: Duterte, Garma invited to attend Oct. 28 Senate drug war probe

He also assured his fellow senators that he would not feel offended by their questions.

“That’s why we are thankful that there will be a parallel committee hearing to ferret out the truth,” he added in Filipino.

As a senator, Dela Rosa is also entitled to ask questions of the resource persons, including Duterte.

The House quad committee is also investigating the war on drugs, which yielded bombshell revelations.

The drug war under Duterte’s presidency claimed at least 6,000 lives, according to official government data. But human rights watchdogs and the International Criminal Court estimated the death toll to be between 12,000 and 30,000 from 2016 to 2019.