Bato admits testimonies made by Duterte in Senate are incriminating

Senator Ronald dela Rosa (Photo by Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate Social Media Unit via Senate of the Philippines/Facebook)

By Wilnard Bacelonia, Philippine News Agency

MANILA – Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Wednesday agreed that the testimonies given by former president Rodrigo Duterte during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on his war on drugs “can be used against him.”

During the hearing, Duterte repeatedly admitted to the existence of the so-called “Davao Death Squad” (DDS) and ordered cops to provoke crime suspects to fight back so authorities could kill them.

“Pwedeng magamit yan against him lalong-lalo na under oath siya. Diba nagsalita siya doon? Pero depende na sa kanya yan (It can be used against him especially that he was under oath. He spoke there, right? But that would depend on him on) how is he going to defend himself,” dela Rosa said in a virtual press briefing.

Dela Rosa, who was the Duterte administration’s first Philippine National Police (PNP) chief at the height of the drug war, also admitted that Duterte does not listen to his advice and usually sticks to his own decisions.

As a former police director of Davao City, dela Rosa was also cited by Duterte as one of the former commanders of the DDS, which the senator denied saying the former president was “just joking.”