Bato backpedals: Marcos burial not President Duterte’s concern

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa changes his tune the same day after confirming that President Rodrigo Duterte knew about the surprise burial of the late dictator and president Ferdinand E. Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB) on Nov 18, Fri.

Before noon on Fri, Bato told GMA News about Duterte and Marcos’ burial, “Alam niya. Alam niya iyan. Hindi naman siya maba-blind.

(He know, he knows it. He won’t be blindsided.)

But later that day, Bato backpedals and says he only “assumed” that the Commander-in-chief knew about the burial, which took the entire country by surprise.

Ina-assume ko lang iyon dahil eh nag-usap naman sila. May open line of communication naman sila. Kung na-contact ng pamilya ‘yung Armed Forces of the Philippines para gusto nilang ipalibing, hindi naman siguro malayo na kokontakin nila ang presidente rin siguro,” the PNP head told ABS-CBN News.

(I only assumed because they talked. There is an open line of communication between the president and the Marcoses. If the Marcos family was able to contact the Armed Forces for the burial, it is possible that they contacted the president as well.)

He further distances the president from the surprise burial by saying it was a private event, which is not the president’s “concern.”

Hindi naman na concern yan ng presidente e. Paglibing din naman yan e bakit naman natin idadamay ang presidente?” Dela Rosa said in the same ABS-CBN interview.

(It’s no longer the president’s concern. That’s a burial, why should we involve the president?)

In Aug, Duterte said he has ordered the Army to bury the late dictator at the LNMB as the fulfillment of one of his promises during his presidential campaign.



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