Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa on Monday apologized to critics of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) after he made remarks calling them “bwisit” saying he was just venting his frustration during an interview on Sunday morning.

“Kahapon na-bwisit talaga ako. Nadismaya ako, nafrustrate ako kaya nasabi ko ‘yun, nadala ako sa emosyon (I was really pissed off yesterday. I was dismayed, frustrated that’s why I said that. I was carried away by my emotion),” Dela Rosa said in an interview over DZMM Teleradyo.

“Ganun pa man, magbigay ako ng public apology doon sa aking mga kasamahan na nasabi ko ‘yun kahapon (Nevertheless, I want to make a public apology to all my colleagues about what I said yesterday),” he further said.

“I am really very sorry. Very inappropriate ‘yung nasabi kong bwisit sila (when I said they are a nuisance). Nasobrahan ‘yung aking (I was swept by my) emotion, nadala ako, kaya mag-apologize na lang ako sa kanila (that’s why I want to apologize to them). Maling mali ‘yung nasabi ko kahapon. Nadala ako sa aking emotion (It was very wrong for me to say that yesterday. I was carried away by my emotion),” he added.

Dela Rosa, who has been a staunch defender of the Duterte government’s anti-insurgency task force, said his outburst was for politicians calling for the abolition of the NTF-ELCAC, not those who slashed its budget.

In a DZBB radio interview on Sunday, Dela Rosa accused politicians calling to abolish the NTF-ELCAC of using them for political agenda.

“Sabihin ko sa kanila, kahit pangit pakinggan, pero buwisit sila. I-abolish kung kailan naging successful yung ahensya sa paglaban sa terorismo, paglaban sa insurhensya, i-abolish nila? (I’ll tell them this, even if it doesn’t sound good, but they are annoying. They want to abolish it when the agency has been successful in fighting terrorism, fighting insurgency? They want to abolish it)?” he pointed out.

“Puro pamumulitika na lang talaga ang iniisip nila, na porke nasa oposisyon sila, gusto nila hindi maging successful itong administrasyong Duterte sa paglaban ng problema ng ating bansa? Ganun na lang talaga ang utak nila? Buwisit! (They are preoccupied with politicking, just because they are in the opposition, they do not want this Duterte administration to be successful in fighting the problems of the nation? Is that how they are going to think? So annoying),” Dela Rosa added.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon later on called him out for his remark and told the neophyte senator to “stick to the issue” and “stop name-calling.”

“We should not take this personally, we should talk about it. This is not politics. This is the people’s money,” Drilon said.