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MANILA, Philippines — You can’t only slap Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa for you can even shoot him if proven he was involved in corruption during his stint at the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor).

At first, Dela Rosa said in a television interview on Tuesday that he is willing to be repeatedly slapped in public if indeed he had been involved in any corruption.

READ: ‘Bato’: Slap me in public if I’m involved in corruption

But he raised the ante when interviewed in the Senate on Tuesday afternoon.

“Alam nyo, hindi lang sampal kahit barilin n’yo ako kapag napatunayan n’yo na ako’y naging corrupt sa pagiging chief ko sa BuCor,” said the senator, who served as BuCor chief from May to October last year.

“Kung ako’y nangungurakot doon, nangungurap, you can do anything you want kung talagang totoo ‘yung akusasyon n’yo, ‘pag na prove ninyo.”

“Sampal, mababaw lang ‘yun, barilin n’yo ako kung talagang may ginawa ako kalokohan dun, korapsyon,” Dela Rosa added.

The senator made the remark amid calls for him to be investigated after admitting that he also signed the release orders of 120 heinous crime convicts when he was at the helm of BuCor.

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At least two witnesses have testified in the Senate on the alleged pay off inside the New Bilibid Prison in exchange for the early release of heinous crime convicts.

“Malinis ‘yung konsensya ko kahit anong pananakot na imbestiga, I don’t care, wala akong ginawang kalokohan. Malinis ako, malinis ang konsensya ko. Hindi ako nagungurakot d’yan sa BuCor…” Dela Rosa said.

In fact, he said, he even paid for his own gasoline when he was the BuCor chief.

“BuCor director is the most thankless job in the Philippines,” Dela Rosa lamented. /kga

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