Bato dares Lascañas to file murder cases vs Dutertes' Oplan Tokhang

Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa on Thursday said retired Davao senior police officer Arturo Lascañas can just file cases in court if he has evidence supporting his claims on Dutertes’ involvement in Davao City's “Oplan Tokhang” operations.

“Let him file all those cases in court if he has evidence, now that [Rodrigo] Duterte is no longer President,” Dela Rosa told reporters in a text message.

In a media interview, Lascañas on Wednesday claimed that Vice President Sara Duterte, during her term as Davao City mayor in 2012, had “instigated” the anti-illegal drugs operation and appointed Dela Rosa as the city's chief of police to implement the Oplan Tokhang.

“Sinabi sa akin ni Bato Dela Rosa na nag-craft sila ng panibago ngayong extrajudicial killing na campaign against illegal drugs (Bato Dela Rosa told me they crafted a new extrajudicial killing campaign against illegal drugs), which is Toktok Hangnyo meaning Tokhang,” he said.

Lascañas said the Dutertes’ Oplan Tokhang targeted personalities involved in illegal drugs.

“Lalo pa ang mga gumagamit ng shabu at nagbebenta. Sabi n’ya kidnapin ninyo, ilubog ninyo ang target. Parang kaso ng missing person lang (Mostly those who were using and selling shabu. He told us to kidnap or eliminat them. To make it appear as a case of missing person),” he added.

Lascañas said that he has submitted a 186-page affidavit to the International Criminal Court.

He bared that the affidavit contains information on the alleged killings perpetrated by former president Duterte and the involvement of the incumbent vice president, Sara Duterte, in the extrajudicial killings in Davao City.

Lascañas said he also submitted a notebook to the ICC office of the prosecutor containing evidence and all information he knows about the alleged killings, which he claimed were ordered by the former president.

He said that he likewise divulged other allegations involving Sara and her brother Davao congressman Paolo “Pulong” Duterte, and the Davao Death Squad and anti-crime task forces created in Davao City.

In a chance interview on Wednesday, Dela Rosa maintained his innocence on the allegations linking him to “Davao Death Squad” operations.

“Sige, go ahead. Pabayaan mo lang siya mag-allege nang mag-allege. Basta malinis ang konsensya ko. Bahala siya sa buhay niya (Sure, go ahead. Let him make more and more allegations. My conscience is clear. Let him be),” he said.

Vice President Sara, on the other hand, denied allegations of Lascañas saying that her name is being dragged into the issue so that she will be included in the ICC investigation on the extrajudicial killings.

“Bago ang script na ito. Sa mga taon na nagsilbi ako bilang vice mayor at mayor ng Davao City, ni minsan ay hindi naugnay ang aking pangalan sa isyung ito (This is a new script. In all the years I served as vice mayor and mayor of Davao City, not once was my name linked to this issue),” she said.

“Maliban sa tiyempo, malinaw na sadyang pinilit lang na maidugtong ang pangalan ko sa isyung ito para ako maging akusado sa ICC (Aside from the timing, it is clear that I am being linked to this issue to that I will become an accused before the ICC),” she added.

The Vice President also dared those individuals implicating her in the previous administration’s war on drugs campaign to locally file a murder case against her.

“Wala na itong debate — sa testigo at mga tao na nakapalikod sa kanya, mag-file kayo ng kasong murder laban sa akin dito sa Pilipinas (Let’s not debate. To the one testifying and all the people behind him, file a murder case against me here in the Philippines),” she said.