VP Sara endorses Bato's reelection bid in new TV ad


At a glance

  • Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa has unveiled another campaign advertisement, this time featuring Vice President Sara Duterte.


Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa has unveiled another campaign advertisement, this time featuring Vice President Sara Duterte.

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(Screenshot from Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa's Facebook page)

In this new advertisement that's also posted on the senator's Facebook page, he addressed critics and non-believers who continue to attack his name and tarnish his reputation.

“Binabatikos, pinaparatangan, at dinudungisan nila ako. Ganyan sila katakot. Pero sino ba ang totoo sa serbisyo at may dedikasyong magsilbi? (They criticize, accuse, and tarnish my reputation. That's how scared they are. But who is truly dedicated to serve?)” Dela Rosa said in the ad.

Duterte then appeared to express confidence in the reelectionist’s genuine intent to champion the safety and security of Filipinos through his continued fight against illegal drugs.

“Ikaw, Senator Bato Dela Rosa. Ikaw, Senator Bato, ang patuloy na lumaban sa ilegal na droga. Ikaw, Senator Bato, ang kailangan ng Pilipino (You, Senator Bato Dela Rosa. You, Senator Bato, are the one who continues to fight against illegal drugs. You, Senator Bato, are what the Filipino people need),” said Duterte.

Dela Rosa, known for his moniker "Bato", has used this tough image extensively in his campaign.

“Matibay ang Bato. Hindi matitibag ang Bato (Bato is strong. Bato cannot be broken),” the Vice President added.

Meanwhile, Dela Rosa lamented the current drug situation in the country.

He thanked Manila’s barangay chiefs for supporting his reelection bid, which is aimed at fighting illegal drugs and criminality.

In an event in Manila recently, Dela Rosa thanked more than 160 barangay captains from the 5th district of Manila for supporting the candidacy of Dela Rosa and other PDP-Laban candidates.

The former chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) expressed concern that drug users are becoming more and more audacious, to the point that they even post their activities on social media.

"Alam niyo, nakakalungkot po ang nangyayari ngayon, tingnan ninyo, everyday sa  social media, makita ninyo, very proud itong mga adik. Bina-vlog pa nila ‘yung kanilang  paggagamit ng shabu. Nakita niyo ‘yon? Kahit saan-saan, nagkakalat, gumagamit ng  shabu. Ang yabang nila, pinagyayabang nila to the whole world na gumagamit silang  shabu (You know, what's happening now is really sad. Just look, every day on social media, you can see these addicts being very proud. They even vlog about their use of shabu. Have you seen that? They're all over the place, spreading around, using shabu. They're so arrogant, boasting to the whole world that they use shabu)," the lawmaker said.

Dela Rosa said that such state of affairs, if allowed to go on, would make people think that drug use is the "new normal".

"Anong napakasamang implikasyon nito? Itong mga tao na ito, akala nila, ‘yung  paggamit ng shabu ngayon ay ‘yan na ‘yung sinasabi natin ngayon na new normal.  Normal na ‘yan, legal na ang paggamit ng shabu dahil very proud silang ipakitasa  buong mundo na sila’y gumagamit ng shabu (What are the terrible implications of this? These people think that using shabu now is what we call the new normal. It's normal, and using shabu is legal because they are very proud to show the whole world that they use shabu)," he said.

He added that this would have a bad influence on children.

Dela Rosa also appealed to the barangay captains to help in his reelection campaign so he could push for the passage of the death penalty for high-level drug traffickers.