Gordon: Bato, Aguirre ‘cowards’ for failing to advise Duterte against reinstatement of Marcos

Senator Richard Gordon on Thursday called Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II “cowards” for supposedly failing to advise President Rodrigo Duterte against the reinstatement of controversial cop, Superintendent Marvin Marcos.

“I’m sorry, Mr. President but I will tell you the truth...There are cowards around the President who don’t want to say the truth,” Gordon told reporters in an interview.

“People around him should pay him a lot more respect by telling him the truth. And I think the President is man enough to say ‘okay may problema tayo dyan’,” the senator said.

Marcos, the suspended police official tagged in the killing of Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr., has been reinstated and appointed head of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-Soccsksargen.

The announcement of Marcos’ new post came after President Rodrigo Duterte said he wants the police official returned to active service despite the homicide charges he is facing.

Marcos and his men at the CIDG-8 were able to walk out of detention last month, after the charges against them were downgraded from murder to homicide, a bailable offense.

Gordon said Aguirre was also to blame after the Department of Justice (DOJ) downgraded the criminal charges.

“Dapat hindi pinakialaman yan. Kung talagang marunong yan si Aguirre, hinayaan niya na lang yung husgado. Bakit papabayaan ang Presidente? Siya ang nagsimula niyan eh, binaba nila yung [kaso]. Naghugas kamay pa siya nung simula eh command responsibility yan,” Gordon said.

“May kahinaan talaga ng ulo yung mga nakapaligid sa kanya eh,” the senator added.

Gordon also pointed to Dela Rosa for not insisting to the President that Marcos should not be reinstated.

Earlier, the PNP chief said he agrees with Duterte that Marcos should return to active service as he is still on the government’s payroll.

“Ang hirap sa PNP, hindi nila ina-advisean ang Presidente. Dapat deretsa sabihin makakasama sa police force yan. That is also the duty of the people around the President,” Gordon said.

“If you’re afraid to be fired -- Mr. President, kung may mga tao kang natatakot magsabi sayo, you’re treading on dangerous ground because alam ko, they’re exploiting his feelings,” he said.

As of posting time, Aguirre and Dela Rosa have yet to respond to text messages sent by GMA News Online for their comments on the matter. 

Meanwhile, Senator Leila de Lima said the reinstatement of Marcos did not come as a surprise to her.

“That was clear from Day 1. The men behind the killing of Mayor Espinosa were just following his orders, according to the President,” De Lima said in a statement.

De Lima, however, questioned how such actions by the President were adopted “with the illegitimate purpose of affording criminals immunity.”

“International law doctrine and jurisprudence consider these actions as clear indicators of ‘fraudulent administration of justice’,” De Lima, former Justice secretary, said. — RSJ, GMA News