Dela Rosa: Lascañas' changing statements meant to discredit Dutertes, allies

Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa on Friday slammed retired senior police officer Arturo Lascañas’ changing statements on his alleged involvement in drug war killings in Davao City.

In a media interview in his hometown Davao City, Dela Rosa said the new version of allegations by Lascañas, a self-proclaimed member of the so-called Davao Death Squad, only intends to discredit the Dutertes.

“Bago na naman na version ‘yan na dinadawit niya si Inday Sara sa sinasabing niyang [Oplan] Tokhang (He has a new version implicating Inday Sara in his so-called Oplan Tokhang),” Dela Rosa said.

Lascañas earlier said he submitted to the International Criminal Court a 186-page affidavit containing information on the alleged killings perpetrated by former president Rodrigo Duterte during his term.

He also accused incumbent Vice President Sara Duterte of being the brains behind Oplan Tokhang, teaming up with Dela Rosa, when she was Davao mayor in 2012. Lascañas claimed it was Sara who instructed law enforcement officers to abduct and bury drug suspects to make the incidents appear like kidnapping cases.

Dela Rosa labeled Lacañas’ statement as a “developing” version meant to malign Dutertes and their allies.

“Kaya nga ang mahirap dito, kung kanyang statement, ano ba ‘yan? Depende kung sino ang nagbabayad? Kung sino ang nagpapasabi ng ganyang statement? (What’s questionable here is that his statement, what could it be? Does his statement depend on who’s paying him? Or who's asking him to say it?),” Dela Rosa wondered.

The senator dared Lascañas to show proof for his allegations.

“Magpaputol ako ng leeg kaagad kung ma-prove niya ‘yan na si VP Sara ang nasa likod n’yan (I am willing to cut my throat if he can prove that VP Sara was behind that),” he said.

“Matagal na ‘yan eh, more than six years na. Ngayon may ibang version na naman siya? (He’s been saying that since six years ago. Now he has another version?) Can you believe that? He has new version and he included Inday Sara,” Dela Rosa added.

“Hindi na makatotohan ‘yan. Noon iba ang sinasabi, ngayon iba naman. O may bago palang version? (That’s not believable already. He said different things back then, now it’s different again. There’s new version already?).”

Dela Rosa recalled Lascañas’ previous statement sparing him from the allegations of extrajudicial killings.

The senator argued that someone is backing Lascañas to revise his statements and incriminate all Dutertes.

“Noon sinabi niya na mabait daw ako na pulis at wala raw ako kinalaman sa mga ganyan na gawain tapos ngayon idadawit na naman niya ako? Ibang klase 'no, anong gusto niya i-wholesale lahat ng Duterte allies at pamilya Duterte? Pati si Pulong [Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte] dinadamay niya na rin (He said before that I was a good cop and I had nothing to do with such activities, but now he is going to implicate me again? What does he want, to implicate wholesale all Duterte allies and the Duterte family? Now he's even accusing Pulong),” said Dela Rosa.

Lascañas has also alleged that Paolo Duterte, then Davao City vice mayor, was operating a secret drug smuggling syndicate.