MALACAÑANG on Wednesday said the reported arrest of fugitive Sen. Ronald dela Rosa was just a “diversionary tactic” used by the camp of Vice President Sara Duterte to divert attention from the Commission on Audit’s (COA) findings about her misuse of confidential funds.
The statement came after reports on Tuesday that dela Rosa has been arrested, which the Department of the Interior and Local Government debunked as “fake news.” The rumors were amplified after Jimmy Bondoc and Harry Roque posted on social media hints at dela Rosa’s arrest.
“Bad news is coming,” Bondoc said in the post. Meanwhile, Roque said, “Meron nga daw na nang-hudas kay Bato (Somebody turned dela Rosa in).” Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said it was clearly a diversionary move.
“Before our fellow citizens believe the rumors, let us find out the source. What is the motive of those spreading them?” she said.
She noted that the timing of the rumors appeared calculated to distract from COA disclosures involving millions of pesos in unreceipted confidential fund expenditures by Duterte under the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, which emerged during the Senate impeachment trial.
Reacting to Bondoc and Roque’s posts, Castro told the public to be discerning and to rely mainly on mainstream media as their primary sources of information for verified news.
Dispelling rumors that spread Tuesday afternoon, Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said dela Rosa has not been arrested yet and remains at large.
“On behalf of the PNP, I would like to confirm categorically that as of 6 p.m. last night, there has been no arrest for Senator Bato. There’s been a lot of speculation that he was arrested, and he’s been whisked away to The Hague. That’s not true,” Remulla told reporters in an interview in Quezon City on Wednesday.
Remulla said they have coordinated with the Department of Justice and all law enforcement units and none has confirmed any arrest.
In the event the senator gets arrested, Remulla said he will be subjected to proper procedures according to law.
“He will be booked, he will be made to appear in court, he will be brought to The Hague for extradition,” he said.
Dela Rosa has been in hiding since May after his sudden appearance to the Senate to vote in favor of the leadership change. After the controversial Senate shooting, he was seen leaving the building with Sen. Robinhood Padilla and from there on went into hiding.
