Bato dela Rosa: EU solons looked at me as if I’m a ‘hitman, murderer’

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa bewailed on Thursday how European Union (EU) lawmakers looked at him when they met to discuss human rights issues on Wednesday.

Dela Rosa, who called himself the “face of the war on drugs,” was among the Philippine senators who met with six visiting members of the EU subcommittee on human rights at the Senate building in Pasay City.

The lawmaker was the national police chief when the bloody anti-drug drive was launched during the Duterte administration.

According to dela Rosa, he immediately declared at the start of the meeting that he is the most God-fearing and most family-loving senator just to “disabuse” the minds of the EU legislators that Filipinos  are “abusive or murderers.”

“Sinabi ko sa kanila na takot ako sa Diyos. Lahat-lahat sinabi ko sa kanila para mag-relax sila kasi pagpasok ko pa lang sa room ang tingin nila sa akin, sa akin lahat nakatingin eh, parang andito, andito na ‘yung hitman, andito na ‘yung mamamatay-tao. Parang ganun ang tingin sa akin eh…Mabuti naman nag smile-smile naman sakin ‘yung mga babae na Parliamentarians,” he said over ABS-CBN News Channel.

(I told them that I’m afraid of God, I told them everything so they could relax because when I entered the room, they were looking at me as if saying the hitman is here, the murderer is here. That’s how they looked at me. Good thing the lady parliamentarians were smiling at me.)

The senator earlier described their meeting as “so intense” as one Spanish lawmaker questioned why Senator Jinggoy Estrada has filed a resolution opposing the International Criminal Court’s investigation against former President Rodrigo Duterte over his brutal “drug war.”

READ: Dela Rosa says PH, EU solons meeting ‘so intense’; Resolution vs ICC probe raised

When this issue was being raised, dela Rosa noted how the EU member was raising his voice and acting  like a boss.

“Ang pagkasalita kasi n’ya medyo mataas ang boses n’ya, para s’yang boss magsalita, boss namin. Who the hell are you? You are not our boss. Magrespetuhan tayo dito. Dapat ang treatment natin is equal kasi magpantay lang tayo, pareho tayong mambabatas kaya you don’t have to impose your will upon us,” he further said.

(Because he was slightly raising his voice, he acts like a boss, our  boss. Who the hell are you? You are not our boss. Let’s respect each other here. We are both  lawmakers so you don’t have to impose your will upon us.)

But EU delegation head Hannah Neumann and Senator  Francis Tolentino, their meeting “fruitful” and “constructive.”

READ: EU ‘very relieved’ to hear PH now working to address EJKs issue

Speaking to reporters after their meeting, Neumann said: “I would say it was not tense, but it was open and critical discussion that in the end it was more constructive than tense.”

Tolentino, who heads the Senate committee on justice and human rights, even thanked  their counterparts from the EU parliament for having a “constructive dialogue” with them.

“Nagkaroon man ng dialogue na hindi naman mainitan, naipaliwanag natin ‘yung ating position and we’d like to thank the EU’s delegation here, as well as some of our colleagues, for that constructive dialogue which is a step in the right  direction,” he also said after the meeting.

(While there was a dialogue, it was not intense. We’re able to explain our position and we’d like to thank the EU’s delegation here as well as some of our colleagues for that constructive dialogue which is a step in the right  direction)

KGA