Ako-Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co and NICA Director General Ricardo de Leon on Thursday denied the allegations of Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa that police officials implicated in the drug war killings had been asked to testify before the International Criminal Court.
In a statement, Co explained: “I met General (Romeo) Caramat twice. First, in 2023 when he was introduced to me by Congressman Erwin Tulfo. At that time, he (Gen. Caramat) was asking for my endorsement to be Chief PNP.
“The second time I met him was in the townhouse of Speaker Martin Romualdez a few months ago. When I arrived, Gen. Caramat was already there. From the conversation, I heard that he (Gen. Caramat) was willing to tell everything he knows about EJKs in exchange for his appointment as Chief PNP. This was flatly rejected by Speaker Romualdez. First, the Speaker said appointments are based on the President’s trust and confidence; and second, he cannot endorse in exchange for some consideration.
“There was never any mention of testifying against anyone before the ICC. I never met Generals Albayalde, Leonardo and Mata.”
In a report, Sen. Bato claimed that NICA Director General Ricardo de Leon and former Sen. Antonio Trillanes had asked unnamed police officials in the ICC list to executed affidavits against him and former President Rodrigo Duterte during a meeting with Co and House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Trillanes had earlier said that Bato, Gen. Caramat, former PNP chief Oscar Albayalde, National Police Commission commissioner Edilberto Leonard, and Police Brig. Gen. Eleazar Mata were in the ICC list of suspects.
When contacted by the Standard, Trillanes declined to comment.
In a statement, NICA Chief De Leon said he had accompanied Caramat to meet with Romualdez about his interest in the position of PNP chief.
“During our conversation, he [Caramat] offered to disclose everything he knew about extrajudicial killings and the drug war, including the list of names targeted for killing, weekly quotas, and the payment process involved in exchange for his appointment,” he said.
But he said Romualdez told them that the appointment of the PNP chief is the prerogative of the President, and that he could not influence the decision.
“The Speaker also rejected Caramat’s offer to disclose information in exchange for his appointment,” he said.
De Leon also said he had no discussion with Albayalde and Matta about getting them to testify before the ICC.
House Speaker Romualdez have yet to respond as of press time.
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