Rift within Duterte camp being resolved internally

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Ronald dela Rosa said a rift between Sen. Bong Go and Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte should be internally resolved, to put to rest claims of a seeming crack in the camp of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Dela Rosa made the comment after the Davao mayor blasted long-time Duterte family aide Go for his alleged silence on the Marcos administration’s “atrocities.”

Mayor Duterte was referring to Go’s alleged silence on issues in Davao City, such as the June 10 police raid in search of the fugitive pastor Apollo Quiboloy that was met with resistance from his followers.

Go said he understood Mayor Duterte’s tirades against him.

“Their disagreement can be resolved between them. That is their internal issue. Sen. Bong Go is close to the Duterte family. We can talk among each other internally to settle it,” Dela Rosa said in a dwIZ interview yesterday.

Dela Rosa and Go are part of the majority bloc in the Senate aligned with the administration of President Marcos, who had a falling out with the Dutertes that culminated in the resignation of Vice President Sara Duterte from the Cabinet as education secretary.

“That was entirely her own decision. We saw it coming, because Vice President Sara is no longer comfortable with what’s happening,” Dela Rosa said of the Vice President’s move, which was preceded by a word war between the Marcos and Duterte families.

In their falling-out, the elder Duterte accused President Marcos of being a drug addict, which prompted Marcos to retaliate by saying Duterte was hooked on fentanyl.

The Vice President’s seeming silence on her father’s actions got on the nerves of First Lady Liza Marcos, who described the Vice President as a “bad shot” to the family.

Asked if the Duterte daughter would assume the face of the opposition, Dela Rosa said: “That remains to be seen. Let us see future developments.”

“When you are in politics, you just hope for the best,” Dela Rosa said.

He vowed to stay by the Duterte camp, citing his debt of gratitude to them for their help in thrusting him to national politics.

Before he was elected senator, Dela Rosa was a Davao police commander who was promoted as Duterte’s Philippine National Police chief.

He implemented Duterte’s bloody war on drugs, which left thousands of mostly poor drug suspects dead, prompting an International Criminal Court investigation of the two for alleged crimes against humanity.

“Whatever happens, I am always here. I have a debt of gratitude to president Duterte. There is no Bato dela Rosa without Digong Duterte,” Dela Rosa said.

Dela Rosa also vowed to investigate in his Senate public order committee the June 10 police raid in search of Quiboloy.

Sen. Robin Padilla filed a resolution seeking an inquiry, saying Quiboloy’s followers’ rights were violated in the commotion.