In what could put a brighter spotlight on beleaguered Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, Akbayan Party-list Rep. Chel Diokno has revealed details on the alleged "recycling" of guns recovered from suspects in the previous Duterte administration's bloody war on drugs.

Dela Rosa--who is reportedly in hiding due to the alleged release of a warrant of arrest from the International Criminal Court's (ICC)--is the most high profile person being linked to the drug war, next only to former president Rodrigo Duterte. De la Rosa was Duterte’s first Philippine National Police (PNP) chief.

During plenary session Tuesday, Dec. 9, Diokno gave a privilege speech wherein he refuted the Duterte administration's “nanlaban” (resistance) claims by presenting police reports submitted by the Office of the Solicitor General to the High Court in the cases of Amora vs. Dela Rosa (G.R. No. 254564) and Dano vs. PNP (G.R. No. 234484).

According to the Office of the President’s 2017 year-end report submitted to the Supreme Court (SC), 20,322 individuals were killed in the first 17 months of Duterte’s war against illegal drugs.

Contained in the police reports were details about several killings where the same firearms--bearing identical serial numbers—were supposedly “recovered” from different suspects, in different locations, and on different dates.

This suggested a pattern of evidence-planting during police operations, Diokno noted.

One firearm—a Colt caliber .45 pistol with serial number 936185—was listed as “recovered” three different times in Quezon City police operations: first in Barangay San Bartolome on Sept. 22, 2016; again in Barangay Talipapa on Sept. 23, 2016; and once more in Barangay Nagkaisang Nayon on Nov. 30, 2016.

“Isipin po ninyo: isang baril pero tatlong beses daw 'narekober' sa tatlong magkaibang insidente, sa tatlong magkaibang petsa, sa tatlong magkaibang barangay (Just think about it: one gun, but supposedly ‘recovered’ three times in three different incidents, on three different dates, in three different barangays),” said the solon-lawyer.

Based on the previous administration’s own filings, Diokno said in Quezon City alone, there were at least seven firearms that appear to have been recycled in different police operations on different dates, involving different suspects who allegedly fought back and were killed.

Among them were a Colt Caliber .45 Pistol (Serial No. 361852), Remington Caliber .45 Pistol (Serial No. 047936), Remington Caliber .45 Pistol (Serial No. 793618), Colt Caliber .45 Pistol (Serial No. 9111243), Colt Caliber .45 Pistol (Serial No. 479361), and a Springfield Armory Caliber .45 Pistol (Serial No. 195859).

“In addition, there are also seven firearms with the same serial numbers but different descriptions as to make, model or caliber that were recovered in different police operations involving different suspects,” Diokno stressed.

“It is incumbent on the PNP to prove that these are different firearms. If they are the same, this means that at least 14 firearms were recycled by the QC Police from 2016-2018,” he added.

Diokno challenged fellow lawmakers to look into this; he said that if proven that these pistols were recycled and planted, the government must go after those responsible and provide compensation to the families of those who were killed.

“May wasto at mas epektibong paraan para labanan ang droga, lalo na ang mga big-time drug lord. May tamang proseso para hulihin at panagutin ang kriminal. Pero hindi kailanman tama ang pagtanim ng ebidensya, at hindi kailanman tama ang pagpatay nang walang habas,” he said.

(There are proper and more effective ways to fight drugs, especially the big-time drug lords. There is a rightful process to arrest and hold criminals accountable. But it is never right to plant evidence, and it is never right to kill indiscriminately.)

Diokno's speech came amid the observance of National Human Rights Consciousness Week.

Former president Duterte has been detained at the ICC at The Hague in the Netherlands since mid-March. He is being tried for crimes against humanity.