FACT-CHECK: Bato dela Rosa is alive

CLAIM: Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa found dead and former president Rodrigo Duterte is the mastermind behind the killing. 

RATING: FALSE

A Facebook page falsely claimed that Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa was found dead and former president Rodrigo Duterte was behind the killing.  

The Facebook page posted an edited photo that falsely showed the retrieval of dela Rosa’s body. However, the original photo could not be traced because part of it was covered. 

The claim was made on Oct. 17, days after Kerwin Espinosa told the House of Representatives’ quad committee hearing that it was dela Rosa who had forced him to testify against former senator Leila de Lima in 2016. 

On Oct. 12, Dela Rosa released a statement in response to Espinosa’s remarks during the hearing, calling Espinosa “a liar, and not a credible witness.”

A check of dela Rosa’s personal and official Facebook pages also confirmed the claim as false, as he has been actively posting updates on his accounts.

Duterte and dela Rosa are well-known political allies and members of the PDP Laban party.

On Oct. 20, PDP Laban posted a list of “Duterte approved” senatorial candidates for the 2025 elections, with dela Rosa included.

The photo posted by the Facebook page was also used as a thumbnail for a YouTube video, which has reached 182,409 views as of writing. Leigh San Diego

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