SAYING that nobody is above the law, Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Saturday night said former President Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte should be sued for crimes against humanity if there is clear evidence that he indeed committed the crimes as alleged by his critics.
But if there is no proof directly showing that he was behind the drug war killings during his presidency, Dela Rosa said no charges should be filed against Duterte.
Dela Rosa, a staunch ally of the former president and implementer of the previous administration’s “Oplan Tokhang” campaign against illegal drugs as Duterte’s first PNP chief, made the statement during GMA-7’s “Tanong ng Bayan” senatorial face-off on Saturday night.
Dela Rosa, along with the other 11 senatorial aspirants who participated in the face-off, were asked to share their thoughts about the recommendation of the quad committee of the House of Representatives to file a suit against the former president for crimes against humanity about his administration’s blood drug campaign.
The specific question was: “Dapat bang sampahan ng kaso si dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte?”
Dela Rosa said his answer to the question was “conditional” – yes, if it is proven that he committed the crimes, and no, if he did not commit any offense and the charges are only based on other people’s crimes.
“Ang sagot ko diyan is conditional, hybrid. Pwedeng yes, pwedeng no. Yes, in the sense na nobody is above the law. Kapag mayroon siyang nagawang kasalanan, kasuhan natin (My answer to that is conditional, hybrid. It can be ‘yes’, it can be ‘no.’ Yes, in the sense that nobody is above the law. If he [Duterte] has committed any crime, then let us file charges against him),” he said.
He quickly added, though: “Pero kung wala naman siyang nagawang kasalanan, huwag mo siyang kasuhan base doon sa kaso ng ibang tao (But if he has not committed any crime, do not charge him based on the offense of other people).”
He stressed: “Because guilt is personal. Huwag po natin ipa-angkin kay Pangulong Duterte ‘yung kasalanan ng ninja cops (Because guilt is personal. Let us not blame [former] President Duterte for the crimes of ninja cops).”
Responding to Dela Rosa, House deputy minority leader France Castro, who is gunning for a Senate seat, said Duterte and Dela Rosa cannot be considered innocent about the past administration’s bloody war on drugs since it was the former president who encouraged the police to kill drug suspects.
Castro stressed cases should be filed against Duterte since he has openly admitted on several occasions that he ordered cops to kill drug suspects who resist arrest.
She added that Dela Rosa should also be charged since he was part of the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs as a former PNP chief.
“Long overdue na ito. Pati mga kasama niya at nag-utos sa pagpatay sa war on drugs. Libo-libo ang pinapatay ni Duterte pero wala pang napapanagot (It is long overdue. Even his [Duterte] cohorts in the killings [should be included]. Thousands have been killed and yet not one has been made accountable),” she said.
Dela Rosa did not rebut Castro’s statement but instead asked why she remains free even if she has a court conviction for child trafficking.
The senator said Castro has been very eager to file charges against him and Duterte about crimes that cannot be linked to them.
“Kumusta na po ‘yung conviction mo sa kasong child trafficking? Ano na po nangyari? Bakit nandiyan ka pa at hindi ka nakukulong? (How is your child trafficking conviction going? What happened? Why are you still not in jail?)” Dela Rosa said.
“Mga parents ng mga bata mismo ay galit na galit sa kanya. Bakit ginamit niya ang mga kabataan para sa kanilang kapakanan? Walang rescue na nangyari doon (The parents of the children themselves are angry at her. Why did she use the children for her own benefit? There was no rescue that happened during that time),” he said.
In November 2018, Castro, former Rep. Satur Ocampo, and several others were arrested on kidnapping and human trafficking charges over the transport of minor indigenous peoples from Talaingod, Davao del Norte. They were released after each posted a bail of P80,000.
In July 2024, the Tagum Regional Trial Court sentenced the group to four to six years imprisonment for endangering the Lumad students.
In December 2024, the Talaingod Ata-Manobo Tribal Council filed an ethics case against Castro at the House of Representatives based on the 2018 conviction.
Responding to Dela Rosa, Castro maintained that the conviction was erroneous, insisting they were rescuing the Lumad children and their teachers who were, at the time, allegedly being harassed.
She said the “angry” parents mentioned by Dela Rosa were “fake parents” as the real ones were supposedly disheartened over the closure of the Lumad school.
Also during the face-off, Dela Rosa reiterated that the House quad committee investigation was initiated to “demolish” the Duterte family.
He also noted that until now, the Department of Justice has yet to file cases against Duterte three years after he stepped down from the presidency, which he said is an indication that the quad-panel hearings were not intended to craft new legislation but were actually allegedly “in aid of persecution.”