Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa has endorsed Senatorial candidate Joseph Victor ‘JV’ Ejercito in his bid for a comeback in the Senate during a press conference in Davao City.
Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Friday said he is personally campaigning for former Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito’s comeback in the upper chamber of Congress.
“I’m here to support my friend JV Ejercito. I hope, in my own little way, (na) makakatulong ako sa kanyang campaign. I’m really campaigning for him. Kaya kung saan-saan ako pumupunta, may mga kinakausap akong mga leaders dito,” he said in a press conference in Davao City.
“Although hindi kami nag-abot sa Senado, nakita ko yung kanyang importance nung presensya niya sa Senado. Napakalaki ng kanyang accomplishment. Sana tuloy-tuloy niyang gagawin ‘yon,” he added.
Dela Rosa lauded Ejercito’s role in the passage of the Universal Healthcare Law, which the latter principally authored and sponsored.
“Yung Universal Healthcare (Law) lang, napakalaking legislation ‘yon. Lahat nakikinabang doon. Siya talaga yung principal author ‘non. Pasalamatan natin siya. As a way of giving thanks to him, ibalik natin siya sa Senado para maituloy-tuloy ‘yon,” he said.
The chief cop-turned-lawmaker said his friendship with Ejercito emerged from their common passion for motorcycles and the latter’s gestures of generosity.
“We share the same hobbies. Pareho kaming mahilig sa motorsiklo. Pag-exit niya sa Senado at pagpasok ko sa Senado, marami siyang pinamana sa akin. Pinamana na niya sa’kin yung kanyang opisina, yung kanyang staff, lahat-lahat. […] That’s how good he is. He’s really the good one,” Dela Rosa said.
Recounting his first term in the Senate, Ejercito said he worked closely with Dela Rosa, then the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), in modernizing the country’s national police force.
Amidst different obstacles at the time, he said he and Dela Rosa were successful in defending the budget of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), which controls the PNP through the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM).
“Nailusot natin yung budget. In fact, we were able to improve and upgrade the equipment and capability of the PNP during his time. Air assets, choppers, watercraft, and other equipment, nagtulungan po kami,” he said.
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