MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Bato dela Rosa on Wednesday, September 18 said that former Philippine National Police (PNP) chiefs have expressed concerns over intel that someone in their ranks may have been on former Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo’s payroll.
During the Senate’s Tuesday hearing on Guo and her alleged ties to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO), a Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) exec Raul Villanueva said that there was intel that a former PNP chief helped Guo escape the country.
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In a press briefing on Wednesday, Dela Rosa said that he was in a group chat with former PNP heads from the oldest living chief down to the latest one that retired, which would be Benjamin Acorda, and for a brief time as officer-in-charge, Emmanuel Peralta.
Dela Rosa was the PNP chief under former president Rodrigo Duterte's adminsitration. He took it upon himself to clear his name within the same day that the intel was shared.
“Concerned lang sila, kasi alam naman nila na hindi sila yung involved pero nadadamay ang kanilang personality kasi nga, former PNP chiefs,” Dela Rosa said.
(They are concerned, because they know that they are not involved but their personality is tagged because they are former PNP chiefs.)
Dela Rosa also said that such rumors, when not substantiated by fact, could be demoralizing for the PNP. He said that if there was such a former police chief, then he should be held accountable.
He has to face the music if a case is filed against him. He has to face the music, whoever it is,” the senator said.
Asked if he knew about any police officials who accepted bribes during his tenure as PNP chief, Dela Rosa said he did not.
“I was very strict when I was…when I got there I told them, ‘I do not accept money from illegal gambling or whatever but you would accept?’,” Dela Rosa said.
He, however, acknowledged that there could still be bribery cases since a “man’s need is insatiable”.
Lawmakers and other government officials are firm on their belief that there were people who helped the former mayor escape the country.
Guo fled the country in July as more of her alleged ties to POGOs surfaced, but was caught by Indonesian authorities and returned to the Philippines. She now faces a wide range of cases with her alleged POGO ties, which include human trafficking, money laundering and misrepresentation.