Malacañang on Wednesday dismissed rumors that Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa had been arrested, describing them as a “diversionary tactic” meant to shift public attention away from the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte.
In a statement, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro urged the public to rely on verified reports from mainstream media instead of unverified social media posts, specifically from Duterte’s allies.
“Bago po ang ating mga kababayan na maniwala sa mga usap-usapan, alamin natin ‘yung source? Ano ang motibo ng mga nagpapakalat? (Before believing rumors, our countrymen should first determine the source and ask what motive those spreading them have),” Castro said.
“Dito po natin hahangaan ang nasa kilalang mainstream media na hindi biased dahil bago magbalita ay inaalam ang katotohanan (We should rely on established mainstream media that verify facts before reporting),” she added.
The Philippine National Police, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the National Bureau of Investigation separately denied reports that Dela Rosa was in government custody.
In a media interview on Wednesday, DOJ Secretary Fredderick Vida said his office has no information on the supposed arrest of Dela Rosa.
“On my part, I really have no information. I think it’s more of a law enforcement matter this time,” Vida said.
He said the DOJ’s role comes into play only after the missing lawmaker is arrested.
Castro noted that posts circulating online contained no substance and context and accused allies of the Vice President of timing their release to divert public attention from the recent Commission on Audit (COA) revelations about Duterte’s spending of millions of confidential funds.
“Mapapansin na walang laman at walang konteksto ang pinapakalat nina Atty. (Jimmy) Bondoc at (Harry) Roque about Sen. Bato (The posts being circulated by Atty. Bondoc and Roque about Sen. Bato have no substance or context),” she said.
“Timing ang ginagawa nila… para matabunan ang mga naisiwalat ng COA patungkol sa mga walang resibo na paggasta ng milyun-milyong pisong confidential funds ni VP Sara sa OVP at DepEd (Their timing is intended to overshadow the Commission on Audit’s revelations regarding the undocumented spending of millions of pesos in confidential funds by Vice President Sara Duterte at the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education).”
“Makikita ang motibo sa ginagawang diversionary tactic ng mga kaalyado ni VP Sara. Maging mapanuri… mainstream media pa rin ang unang dapat na pagtiwalaan sa mga beripikadong balita (The motive behind this diversionary tactic by the Vice President’s allies is evident. Be discerning. Mainstream media should remain the primary source of verified information),” Castro added.
Dela Rosa has been in hiding since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against him over his alleged role in the Duterte administration’s anti-illegal drugs campaign.
For his part, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla also denied reports that the senator has been arrested.
He said the DILG and the DOJ have coordinated with all law enforcement units, adding that the senator remains at large and is being pursued by authorities.
“Categorically, as of 6 p.m. last night (Aug. 4) there has been no arrest for Sen. Bato. There has been a lot of speculations na nahuli siya (that he was caught,), and that he is being whisked away to The Hague, hindi po totoo yan,’’ Remulla told reporters in a chance interview.
He furthered that based on the tracker team’s information, the legislator is still monitored in the area of Mindanao.
Remulla also assured that the media would immediately be informed once Dela Rosa will be arrested.
“No, hindi kami ganun, wala kaming secret operations na hindi malaman ng mga tao (No, we’re not like that, we don’t have secret operations that people don’t know about). We are always transparent in what we do. All the proper channels, all proper procedures gagawin namin according to rule of law,” Remulla said. (With reports from Benjamin Pulta and Christopher Lloyd T. Caliwan/PNA)