WE THOUGHT Davaoeño Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa is not afraid to join former President Rodrigo Duterte in The Hague, Netherlands. Why has he not attending the sessions of the Senate for the last two months?
Was there not a time that the Senator, like FPRRD, challenged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to come and get him? But now a lot of people are wondering what happened to the former top policeman.
Even the Senate, his legal counsel lawyer Israelito Torreon, and members of his family claimed until yesterday that they have no idea where Senator Bato is holed up. Torreon, though, posted a photo on Facebook with him talking to the Senator without disclosing where the meeting was held.
But again, why is the Senator appearing to be so afraid of getting arrested and flown to The Hague? In fact, the so-called arrest warrant from the ICC still remains unconfirmed, and its existence is more of a speculation.
If for long the talk of the existence of the ICC arrest order persists and the Senator continues to keep himself in hiding and not attending the Senate session, can it be a legal basis for temporarily removing him from the Senate’s roll? Will it also mean the ouster of all his office staff? After all, with the Senator not attending Senate sessions, there is nothing for his staff to do.
And besides, if Bato’s absence will be for a long period, it would be unfair for the Filipino taxpayers to continue paying the salaries and wages of the lawmaker and all his workers in his office.
Indee,d times have changed. These days, those who make the laws are now the ones hiding from their enforcers. And if we have to believe the boast of the President and the Ombudsman, some of our lawmakers, consisting of Congressmen and Senators, may be behind bars before Christmas because of the anomalies in the billions worth of anti-flood projects. And Christmas is less than ten days away.
“Let us to see,” to quote the late former Davaoeno Senator Alejandro “Landring: Almendras.
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Remember our top topic in yesterday’s column? It was about Acting Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte winning small but “big” in his political tussle with the Administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
Indeed, he has won. First, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) moved the opening of Segment B of the Davao Coastal Road, stretching from its junction with Tulip Drive at Times Beach to the corner of Roxas Ave.
We said it was a small win because the adjustment in the opening was barely less than twelve hours from Monday, December 15, to Tuesday, December 16, at 6 in the morning. And yes, it was a big win as well. Why? Imagine Malacañang, meaning the Office of the President, through Press Officer Claire Castro, announcing that the Office of the President is requesting the local government of Davao City for its support and cooperation to ensure the smooth flow of traffic as Segment B of the coastal highway is opened to traffic!
But what if the Davao City LGU denies the cooperation and support requested? We are certain that by denying the request, Mayor Baste is able to “slap” the President without even trying.
But will it redound to the benefit of Davao City and its people? And what if the city’s non-cooperation will exacerbate traffic and cause road accidents, will the mayor’s “it’s on you and your stupidity” be invoked?
Will the affected families of road accident victims heap the blame on the President and his “reckless pronouncement” of the opening schedule?
Will the possible negative reaction not boomerang on the City mayor?
Again, “Let us to see.”
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What? The two gunmen in the deadly attack on beachgoers in Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, stayed in Davao City for a month during their visit to the Philippines! Were they honing their skill in mass shooting in the city, using not people as targets but possibly other things?
If indeed they stayed in Davao City for a month, there may be a possibility that they have contacts here, or that they were then establishing “friends” and potential recruits to their cause – if their mass shooting was an offshoot of a twisted cause. Maybe the police are right in looking into the report of the two shooters’ possible stay in Davao.
Who knows, they may have convinced some persons with minds like theirs to replicate what they were to do on that Sydney beach. Better be prepared for any unexpected event than be sorry later.
