Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa

House members have brought up Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa's former position as Philippine National Police (PNP) chief in their continued criticism of the "PDEA leaks" probe. 

The Senate Committee on Public Order chaired by Dela Rosa, a reelectionist, has so far treated the testimony of dismissed Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) intelligence officer Jonathan Morales as verbal gold, despite what congressmen described as his unsavory credentials. 

"I expected more from [Senator Dela Rosa]," Deputy Speaker Quezon 2nd district Rep. David “Jay-jay” Suarez said in a press conference Wednesday, May 8. 

“Not only did I expect more from the good Senator (Bato), but I expected more from the Senate leadership … When it comes to the Senate, for the past two hearings that they had, I really don’t understand why they are spending so much time, effort, money, and resources sa mga bagay-bagay na wala namang katotohanan (on things that aren't true),” Suarez said. 

Assistant Majority Leader Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong is equally bewildered as to why Dela Rosa chooses to believe Morales over PDEA Director General Moro Virgilio Lazo. 

“Si Senator Bato is a friend, and being a policeman – he is a former PNP chief – alam ho niya ‘yong rules of evidence (he know the rules of evidence). If your goal really is to achieve a successful prosecution, you have to have a legal basis and a sound evidence to prove your case,” Adiong said at the same presser. 

Morales claimed to have prepared and signed the documents purportedly revealing the agency’s anti-illegal drug operations targeting then-senator and now President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and actress Maricel Soriano in 2012. Lazo has told the Dela Rosa panel that the alleged documents do not exist.  

Everything that Morales testified to, Adiong said, is hearsay and cannot be used as evidence. 

“Everything is hearsay...You present your case, your evidence, to the fiscal, to the prosecutor. If there’s no evidence, solid evidence, automatic that would go to waste, kumbaga automatic dismissed na po ‘yan (in other words the case is automatically dismissed)," he explained. 

Another assistant majority leader in Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Jil Bongalon agreed with his colleagues and called Morales a "pathological liar". 

"Well, I agree with the question 'no. What we have is a chairman who is a former PNP chief. Having served the PNP for several years. And having said that we expect him to be well versed and knowledgeable, especially in rules and evidence and investigation. So personally, I am very disappointed with the way Sen. Bato dela Rosa conducted the hearing. Why? What we have is a witness who is a pathological liar," Bongalon said. 

The Bicol lawmaker was referring to the alleged false testimonies that Morales has given jn the past. 

House Committee on Dangerous Drugs Committee Chairman Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers shared the same sentiments about the Senate panel hearing. 

“The people were tortured in listening to Mr. Morales’ arrogant presentation of myths and fairy tales, hearsays and double hearsays, uncorroborated and unfounded allegations without an iota of evidence to support them,” he said. 

“I am no expert in the rules on evidence, but it would be foolhardy for anybody to validate and authenticate any evidence, the existence of which was already denied by the agency which is the official custodian of  such documents. If the document is fake, we should not waste time looking for the original because there is none,” Barbers said. 

Dela Rosa is a known ally of former president Rodrigo Duterte, a Marcos administration critic. 

Dela Rosa served as the first PNP chief during the Duterte administration.