Abante to ‘Bato’ on drug war issues: Face quad comm, not media
Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa should face the House of Representatives’ quad committee to clarify allegations against the past administration’s war on drugs instead of going to the media, Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. said on Tuesday.
Abante, during the resumption of the quad committee hearings, said that de la Rosa was given several chances to explain his involvement in former president Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-illegal drug campaign, but he did not avail of it.
Dela Rosa, Duterte’s first Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, was one of the key implementers of the drug war, having designed Oplan Tokhang — a portmanteau of Visayan words ‘toktok’ or to knock, and ‘hangyo’ or to plead.
“Ang ating Senador Bato dela Rosa, nung tinanong siya, ayaw naman niyang humarap sa amin. Pinapaharap namin para maging malinaw ang lahat ng bagay. Anong ginagawa niya? Nagpupunta sa media. Kung anu-ano ang pinagsasabi niya,” Abante said in his opening speech for the resumption of the quad committee hearings.
(Senator Bato dela Rosa, when he was asked, he did not want to face us. We have been asking him to face us so that many things would be clarified. But what did he do? He went to the media and said a lot of things.)
Aside from his challenge to dela Rosa, Abante also called on other critics to appear before the quad committee if they claim the hearings are politically-motivated.
Abante, chairperson of the House Committee on Human Rights, maintained that they are not against the anti-drug campaign as long as it does not turn the country into “killing fields.”
“Kung meron man ditong nagsasabi na we’re gathered here because of politics, gusto naming humarap siya dito para sabihin sa amin directly,” he said.
(If someone would say that we’re gathered here because of politics, we want them to face us to say it directly.)
“Ayaw po nating mahulog ang bansa sa droga pero ayaw din natin ang buong Pilipinas maging killing fields, na pumatay tayo na hindi sinusunod ang Saligang Batas,” he added.
(We do not want the country to be swallowed by the illegal drugs menace, but we also do not want the Philippines to become a killing field, that there will be killings not in accordance with the Constitution.)
黑料社 has sought the side of dela Rosa but he has not replied as of posting time.
This is not the first time that Abante and dela Rosa figured in a verbal tussle.
Last June 25, 2024, Abante’s panel invited former president Duterte and dela Rosa to shed light on human rights issues, amid claims that police officers implementing the drug war were involved in extrajudicial killings.
Abante, who initially took on a careful stance regarding the drug war, eventually said that the past administration’s anti-drug campaign was deceitful, adding that the public should refrain from voting for 2025 election candidates who disregard human rights.
Dela Rosa last June 27 said that he is skipping the House probe, after Senate President Francis Escudero advised him to refrain from attending.
According to dela Rosa, he does not have a problem with the activities of the quad-committee, but he does not want the actions taken by Abante’s panel because it was probing Duterte’s drug war even though several investigations have already been conducted.
But Abante said there is new information in his panel’s discussions, as they were able to listen to different testimonies about how innocent people — like minors and children — were killed during the drug war.
