‘Bato’ vows he won’t be Palace rubber stamp in Senate

MANILA, Philippines – Senator-elect Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Wednesday vowed that he will not be a rubber stamp of the Duterte administration in the Senate.

“Never,” Dela Rosa stressed in a press conference at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.

Recalling his phone conversation with President Rodrigo Duterte, Dela Rosa said the President told him that he will respect the Senate’s independence.

“The other night, tinawagan ko si Presidente, tinanong ko siya. Sir, any advice, any guidance bago ako papasok sa Senado?’,” Dela Rosa shared after his proclamation as senator.

“Ang sabi nya sa akin ‘Bato, you are already a senator of the Filipino people, you are not a senator of Duterte, hindi kita pakikialaman dyan sa trabaho mo’,” he added.

Dela Rosa was one of the senatorial candidates endorsed by the President.

The former national police chief ranked fifth in the 2019 senatorial race with 19,004,225 votes. (Editor: Gilbert S. Gaviola)