Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa (Senate PRIB)

Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa has a lot of explaining to do following retired Police Lt. Col. Jovie Espenido's corroboration of alleged drug lord Kerwin Espinosa's claim that the lawmaker had ordered them to link then-senator Leila de Lima to illegal drugs. 

Overall chairman of the House quad-committee (quad-comm), Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers and co-chairman Santa Rosa City lone district Rep. Dan Fernandez said Wednesday, Oct. 23 that Dela Rosa may air his side at the House of Representatives or in the Senate. 

It was the marathon quad-comm hearing Tuesday, Oct. 22 when Espenido retracted his statements in a 2016 Senate hearing wherein he implicated De Lima in the illegal drug trade. 

He confirmed his retraction in the presence of De Lima, who on Tuesday attended the quad-comm hearings for the first time as a resource person. 

"Syempre ang burden [of proof] ngayon na kay Senator Bato na. Eh kasi nga nagsalita si Espenido, nasa kanya ngayon kung paano niya i-dedepensa yung kanyang sarili," Fernandez said on Wednesday. 

(Of course the burden of proof now is with Senator Bato. Because Espenido has spoken, it's up to him how he will defend himself. 

In a previous hearing of the mega panel, Espinosa, son of the slain Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa told the congressmen that Dela Rosa had pressured him and Espenido to implicate De Lima in illegal drugs. 

At that time, Dela Rosa was chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) under then-president Rodrigo Duterte's aggressive anti-narcotics campaign. Espenido has also confirmed this. 

Fernandez said Dela Rosa may still disprove Espenido's statements in the quad-comm, if only he would set aside inter-parliamentary courtesy and join the House proceedings. 

"Hanggang hindi niya ginagawa yun, 20 years from now, ang makikita ay yung records ng Congress. Yung mga salita nila outside the Congress, hindi na mapapansin yun eh kasi walang record yun. At least yung sa atin, magagamit talaga," the Laguna solon said of Dela Rosa. 

(Until he does that, 20 years from now, it's the Congress records that will survive. Their remarks outside of Congress will have no bearing, because there is no record of those. At least ours will become useful.) 

Parallel probe 

Barbers said Dela Rosa may also clear his name in the Senate, especially if Espenido attends the parallel investigation there on the controversial Duterte drug war. 
 

READ THIS:

https://mb.com.ph/2024/10/11/espinosa-tags-dela-rosa

"Once and for all dapat ma-clarify yan. I don't know kung inimbita rin nila si Senator Leila de Lima doon or maybe siguro na-imbitahan nila si Col. Espenido. Kung maninindigan si Col. Espenido at sasabihin niya yung sinabi niya doon sa quad-comm sa Senado, kung siya ay matanong, ay mukhang malaking issue yun para kay Senator Bato," he said. 

(He must clarify it once and for all. I don't know if Senator Leila de Lima is there or maybe Col. Espenido was invited. If Col. Espenido stands his ground and tells the Senate what he told the quad-comm, should he gets questioned, then that's a big issue for Senator Bato.)
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"Kung titignan natin yung mga salaysay nung mga witnesses sa quad-comm, lumalabas na parang trumped-up charges, o di kaya ay pinilit, o di kaya ay finabricate yung mga kaso laban sa mga nakasuhan ng droga tulad ni senator Leila de Lima," he explained. 

(If we look at the testimonies of the quad-comm witnesses, it appears that people like senator Leila de Lima were slapped with trumped up, forced, or fabricated cases.) 

Barbers said it's not a stretch to think that other local officials went through the same experience as De Lima during the previous administration's war on drugs. 

"Maaaring nangyari rin ito sa mayors kung saan, inakusahan na bilang...high-value target or drug lord, kung kaya't siguro sila pinagbabaril at inassassinate," he said. 

(This could have also happened to the mayors who were accused as high-value targets or drug lords, which might have led to them being gunned down and assassinated.) 

"So palagay ko malaki ang implication kapag doon lumabas itong pag-recount ni Col. Espenido mismo sa harap ni Senatpr Bato," Barbers added. 

(So I think there will be a huge implication if ever Col. Espenido recounts his statement there in front of Senator Bato.) 

The drug allegations against De Lima led to her incarceration from Feb. 2017 to Nov. 2023.