MAKABAYAN BLOC Representatives Arlene Brosas of Gabriela (left ) and France Castro of ACT Teachers and former Representative Carlos Isagani Zarate of Bayan Muna are seen in this picture taken in February 2023 in front of Supreme Court. (File photo from INQUIRER / RICHARD A. REYES)
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa hates transparency and accountability, said House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Party-list France Castro on Friday.
Castro issued the statement after dela Rosa tagged their group, Makabayan bloc, as “enemies of peace” for criticizing Vice President Sara Duterte’s confidential and intelligence funds.
Dela Rosa had also mentioned that the lawmakers are leftists, hinting at their possible links to the Communist Party of the Philippines/New People’s Army (CPP/NPA).
“It is understandable that dela Rosa would defend [the] confidential funds [of] Duterte because they abhor transparency and accountability,” said Castro.
“Kung anu-anong kwento na, harassment, gawa-gawang kaso, pagpatay at iba pa ang ginawa ng mga kampon ng mga Duterte, pero wala pa din,” she observed.
(All kinds of stories, harassment, fabricated cases, killings, and so on, have been done by Duterte’s allies, but still nothing came out.)
Meanwhile, another Makabayan bloc lawmaker — Kabataan Party-list representative Raoul Manuel – believes it is a waste of time to specify matters related to the confidential funds.
He said the remarks come from dela Rosa, a fellow lawmaker who has not fully studied the issue.
Manuel cited as one reasons he does not want to react to the senator is because the former police chief “assumed that former VP [Leni Robredo] has a confidential fund, even if there is none, to defend current VP Duterte.”
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