Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa has voiced his concern that alleged scripted and fabricated accusations could negatively impact his reelection campaign for the 2025 midterm elections.
In a media interview in Tacloban City on Friday night, Dela Rosa described the issues linking him and former President Rodrigo Duterte to extrajudicial killings in the war on drugs as highly stressful.
These allegations are currently under investigation by the ongoing hearings of the House of Representatives’ Quad Committee.
During a Quad Committee hearing on Wednesday, August 28, Police Lieutenant Colonel Jovie Espenido revealed that Dela Rosa, who served as the PNP chief under the Duterte administration, allegedly issued directives to neutralize drug suspects.
Dela Rosa expressed hope that the public would not believe these stories. He emphasized that if people understand the real reasons behind the allegations, his chances of winning the reelection would improve.
He assured that they will do everything possible to inform voters of the truth.
The senator also maintained that he would not attend the Quad Committee hearings as a matter of inter-parliamentary courtesy.
Dela Rosa was first elected as a senator in the 2019 midterm elections and is now seeking a new term to ensure the passage of his proposed PNP Forensic DNA Database Bill.
This bill aims to create a comprehensive DNA database to enhance the forensic capabilities of the PNP, speed up case resolutions, and strengthen national peace and order.