Senator Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa (File picture from Joseph B. Vidal/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Friday tagged the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives as “enemies of peace.”
Dela Rosa said the group is only opposing Vice President Sara Duterte’s confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) because they know these allocations will be used against them.
Makabayan bloc is composed of Kabataan Party-list Representative Raoul Manuel, ACT Teachers Party-list Representative France Castro, and Gabriela Party-list Representative Arlene Brosas.
In a phone interview with Senate reporters, dela Rosa stressed Duterte’s confidential funds will be used for monitoring Communist Party of the Philippines–New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) recruitment among students and youth.
The funds are more critical for the use of Department of Education (DepEd), he noted.
“Kanino ba naka-align yung mga makakaliwa d’yan na maiingay? ‘Di ba naka-align do’n sa kaliwa?” dela Rosa asked.
(Who are the leftists there who are loud? Aren’t they aligned with the left?)
“So they are fighting for their existence and one way of fighting for their existence is iwasan talaga na makakuha ng confidential fund itong si Vice President Duterte, para tuloy tuloy ang kanilang recruitment,” he explained.
(So they are fighting for their existence and one way of fighting for their existence is to not let Vice President Duterte get confidential funds, so that their recruitment can continue.)
Asked if he was referring to the Makabayan bloc, the senator immediately retorted: “Sino pa?” (Who else?)
While defending the confidential funds in her offices, Duterte earlier stated that critics who oppose these appropriations oppose peace.
She also said whoever blocks peace is an enemy of the people.
“I am with VP Sara,” dela Rosa declared.
“I am with them when they declare that those who stand in the way are the enemies of peace,” he said.
“I am referring to the enemies of peace as to those who are part of the Makabayan bloc, those who were red-tagged by Joma Sison as part and parcel of the revolutionary process, the party lists as part of the CPP-NPA-NDF,” the senator made the identification.
Asked later for his advice to the Makabayan bloc, the senator responded, “Huminto na tayo sa pagiging plastik.”
(Let us stop being fake.)
Prior to admitting that he was referring to the Makabayan bloc, dela Rosa claimed that he is “not red-tagging” the lawmakers, as CPP founder Joma Sison himself said that “they are a front of the CPP NPA.”
In the same interview, dela Rosa proceeded to call other critics of Duterte’s confidential funds as individuals who are merely riding with the issue.
He later on clarified that he is not branding every politician who questions the confidential allocation as enemies of peace.
“I’m not referring to other politicians na may other reasons kung bakit sila umaayaw dyan sa confidential funds,” he clarified.
(I’m not referring to other politicians who have other reasons why they hate confidential funds.)
“Ang nire-refer ko dito ay yung mga makakaliwa na talagang matatamaan pag merong confidential funds yung Office of the Vice President at DepEd,” he pointed out.
(The ones I am referring to here are the leftists who will be really hit if there are confidential funds for the Office of the Vice President and DepEd.)
“Gagamitin talaga ‘yan against sa kanila. Doon sa mga nagre-recruit, kaya sila nagkukumahog na haharangin yan,” he explained.
(That will really be used against them, so they are clamoring to block it.)
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