Malacañang on Wednesday dismissed reports of Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa’s arrest, characterizing the rumors as a calculated strategy to distract the public from the ongoing impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro urged the public to scrutinize unverified claims online and rely on established media outlets that enforce rigorous fact-checking standards.
“Bago po ang ating mga kababayan na maniwala sa mga usap-usapan, alamin natin ‘yung source? Ano ang motibo ng mga nagpapakalat?” Castro said in a message to reporters.
Her statement follows coordinated denials from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which all confirmed no arrest occurred on Tuesday.
Dela Rosa remains in hiding following reports of an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant issued over his role as chief executor of the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign.
Castro pointed out that several online posts claiming Dela Rosa had been apprehended were traced from or were amplified by political allies of the Vice President.
She specifically questioned the timing of the viral rumors, noting that they surfaced precisely while the Commission on Audit (COA) was delivering key testimony before the Senate Impeachment Court regarding millions of pesos in confidential funds spent by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) during Duterte’s tenure as education chief.
“Timing ang ginagawa nila… para matabunan ang mga naisiwalat ng COA patungkol sa mga walang resibo na paggasta ng milyun-milyong pisong confidential funds ni VP Sara sa OVP at DepEd,” Castro said.
Duterte faces an array of impeachment charges, including the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds, unexplained wealth accumulation, bribery, and grave threats.