BATO CALLS FOR BISAYA REPRESENTATION IN THE SENATE AT CENTRAL VISAYAS COUNCILORS EVENT

“Gusto n’yo ba na walang Bisaya doon sa Senado?”

This was the question posed by Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa to a gathering of councilors in Cebu, as he called on them to continue supporting him and other Bisaya candidates in the upcoming midterm elections.

“Gusto niyo ba na walang manalong Bisaya? Siguraduhin natin na may representative tayo doon. Hindi pwede na sila-sila lang,” Dela Rosa said during a recent assembly of the Philippine Councilors League Region VII at Bai Hotel in Mandaue City, Cebu.

Besides hailing from Davao, the senator said that he also traces his roots to Bohol, as his mother is from the town of Antequera.

The former chief of the Philippine National Police said that aside from Mindanao, which is his bailiwick, he also hopes to get huge support from vote-rich Visayas.

Dela Rosa had a strong showing in the Central Visayas region during his first run in 2019, as he placed 2nd in Bohol with 354,114 votes, 4th in Cebu (786,613 votes) and Negros Oriental (221,570 votes), and 6th in Siquijor (20,108 votes).

The lawmaker also called on the local legislators to help address the country’s persistent drug problem.

“Mga leaders naman tayo sa ating mga komunidad, kausapin nyo ‘yung ating mga kababayan, ‘Kayo, bantayan ninyo ang inyong mga anak na huwag gumamit ng droga.’ Kausapin ninyo,” he said.

“Dito tayo sa side ng prevention, prevention is better than cure, ‘di ba? We have to prevent them from indulging in drugs,” he added.

The senator also said that local leaders could help the government respond to the issue of drugs by tackling demand reduction.

“Tulungan natin ang ating gobyerno, dito tayo sa demand reduction side. Huwag na tayo sa supply reduction, hayaan na natin ang mga pulis at PDEA diyan. Dito tayo sa demand reduction through education sa ating mga nasasakupan. Magbantay tayo na hindi gumamit ng droga ang ating mga kabataan,” Dela Rosa said.