‘Bato’ dela Rosa reiterates call: Help gov’t fight illegal drugs

Former President Rodrigo Duterte and Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa. —MALACAÑANG FILE PHOTO

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa reiterated his call to the public in supporting the government fight against illegal drugs.

Dela Rosa said this in his speech in Danao City on Sunday, September 15, during the Karansa Festival, where he was invited as a guest.

“Atong tabangan atong gobyerno sa kampanya laban sa ilegal nga droga. Mao ra na akong hangyo kaninyo,” he said.

(Let us help our government in its campaign against illegal drugs. That is my only appeal to you.)

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As the Senate’s chairperson on the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, he said the campaign against illegal drugs was his own advocacy.

“Bahala’g asa ko dalhon sa kapalaran… Kung unsay akong laban sa ilegal nga droga, dili gyud nato na biyaan tungod kay importante kaayo ka para sa atong nasud,” he said.

(It doesn’t matter where fate will bring me…Whatever my fight against illegal drugs, we will not leave it because that is very important to our country.)

Moreover, he also called for the parents to look over their children as they would play a huge role in influencing their lives.

“Panggaon ninyo ang inyong mga anak ug kamong mga anak panggaon ninyo inyong mga ginikanan kay kung walay pagminahalay sa sulod sa panimalay, dali ra gyud musulod ang problema sa ilegal nga droga,” Dela Rosa added.

(Parents, love your children and you, children, love your parents because if there is no love inside your homes, the problem of illegal drugs can easily enter.)

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He added that the parents should not make poverty the reason for neglecting their children and not disciplining them enough to prevent engaging in illegal activities.

Meanwhile, Dela Rosa also said the intervention of the International Criminal Court (ICC) over former president Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs would never affect him.

Dela Rosa was the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) during Duterte’s administration and was the head implementor of Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs.

The campaign, dubbed as ‘bloody’ by many, reached to the ICC after learning the campaign committed violation of human rights.

“Kami ni Pangulong (Rodrigo) Duterte, paatubangon daw mi didto sa ICC. Bisan pag wala sila’y jurisdiction, sige gihapon silag panghuraw ana tungod sa pulitika. Duna ba tay crimes against humanity nga nahitabo sa Pilipinas nga mag-apil-apil man sila diri? Wala man di ba?,” Dela Rosa said.

(We, President (Rodrigo) Duterte, will face the ICC. This is even if they have no jurisdiction, they continue to give that threat because of politics. Do we have crimes against humanity that happened in the Philippines that they would dip their hands here, there is nothing, right?)

He added that the most important was that the war on drugs was launched to save those who were addicted to illegal drugs.