Bato’s ‘killing’ bill

By Herbert Vego

ONE recalls that on July 2 this year, Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa refiled a bill that had failed to pass in 2019.

Senate Bill No. 1343 seeks to reinstate capital punishment through lethal injection for large-scale traffickers of illegal drugs.

In a press conference with Senate reporters, Dela Rosa said, “While putting behind bars small-time street drug pushers is a step forward in rehabilitating our nation, we must hunt down the syndicates that have enriched themselves by preying upon our poor people.”

The bill is silent on plunder involving flood control projects, for which legislators who own construction firms with flood-control contracts have been recommended for prosecution by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI).

Anyway, Bato has no problem with that. He is not one of them.

But why has he not been attending Senate sessions since November 11?

He should have shown up on Thursday, November 27, to defend the proposed 2026 budget of the Department of National Defense (DND)and other agencies under his chairmanship.

Is he in hiding?

Yes, thinks Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, because of reports that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has already issued a warrant of arrest against him for his role as implementer of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s “drug war” which cost the lives of thousands of victims of extra-judicial killings.

Dela Rosa was the first chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) under Duterte, who has been detained at the ICC at The Hague since March this year for crimes against humanity.

His “killing” bill, if turned into law, would kill more.

Last Friday, the Appeals Chamber of the ICC issued in open court its unanimous decision denying the appeal of Duterte for his interim release, ordering that he remain in detention.

The ruling upheld the earlier decision of the Pre-Trial Chamber which found that Duterte’s release would pose risk to witnesses.

Ironically, here’s a senator wanting death for others but is afraid of detention.

Sen. Bato must now be pondering the words of Rep. Leila: “You can run but you can’t hide forever.”

-oOo-

LEVELLING UP WITH THE ICCC 

KUDOS to Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas for taking good care of poor but deserving students of the Iloilo City Community College (ICCC) at M.H. Del Pilar St., Molo.

The good news is that it is expanding to a bigger campus at the historic Fort San Pedro area.

The present site could admit only 300 new students per year.

Established in 2016, ICCC currently serves more than 1,400 students taking up basic courses in Office Administration, Tourism Management, Criminology, and in Early Childhood Education.

The expanded campus will enable the school to also offer Information Technology and Hotel and Restaurant Management, among others.

-oOo-

LOOKING THROUGH MORE POWER-ILECO 1 ‘COMPETITION’ 

FRANKLY, I am not sure whether Rep. Janette Garin’s bill seeking to expand the franchise of MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power) to her 1st District would result in competition with Iloilo Electric Cooperative 1 (ILECO 1).

The other possibility is that the two distribution utilities could end up as partners through a joint venture agreement, as in the case of Negros Power and Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO).

No less than a retired ILECO 1 general manager, Engr. Wilfred Billena, commented, “No matter what argument Ileco1 makes, it’s a fact that their services have deteriorated over the years. Their system average interruption frequency index and other similar indexes had considerably gone up to the annoyance of consumers. And that situation is not an indication of preparedness for competition.”

Retired banker Leopoldo “Doods” Moragas, now living in Seattle, Washington, asked online, “What competition? I feel like vomiting in laughter.”