Senator Bato dela Rosa faced severe criticism from online users after he made a statement implying that the opposition had remained silent about confidential funds during the tenure of former Vice President Leni Robredo.
During an interview with Teleradro Serbisyo on Sunday, October 1, dela Rosa dismissed the current criticisms surrounding Vice President Sara Duterte’s controversial confidential fund as mere political maneuvering, asserting that it was a non-issue during Robredo’s time.
He stated, “Nung si Vice President Leni Robredo ang naaupo sa Office of the Vice Presiden, tahimi naman itong oposisyon, hindi naman nila kinalkal yan (confidential funds)…..So most likely pulitika. May halong pulitika. Eh panong hindi maubos ng 19 days, eh 19 days lang yung allowance para magamit yung pera na yan?”
This statement received strong backlash from celebrities and social media figures, who refuted dela Rosa’s claims as inaccurate.
Comedian-talent manager and content creator Ogie Diaz corrected dela Rosa in his tweet, clarifying that former VP Leni did not have any confidential funds during her term. He argued that the criticisms against VP Duterte were not politically motivated but centered on issues of accountability.
“Juice ko naman! Wala ngang confidential funds si Leni noon. Limited lang ang budget, pero me mga resibo. Pera po yan ng bayan, kaya gusto lang malaman ng mga tao kung saan po napupunta ang buwis nila. Ganun lang kasimple. Walang halong pulitika.”
Juice ko naman! Wala ngang confidential funds si Leni noon. Limited lang ang budget, pero me mga resibo. Pera po yan ng bayan, kaya gusto lang malaman ng mga tao kung saan po napupunta ang buwis nila. Ganun lang kasimple. Walang halong pulitika. https://t.co/1qkWoXpTsa
— ogie diaz (@ogiediaz) October 2, 2023
Veteran actor Jaime Fabregas also weighed in, saying, “Ay naku. Huwag ka na kasing magsalita, Bato! Wala kang alam at wala kang talino para maka-alam.”
Ay naku. Huwag ka na kasing magsalita, Bato! Wala kang alam at wala kang talino para maka-alam.
— Jaime Fábregas (@fabre_jaime) October 2, 2023
Social media personality @pinoyakoblog echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that VP Leni had no confidential funds and therefore no grounds for criticism.
“Eh wala naman kasing confidential fund si VP Leni noon. Anong kakalkalin? Baliw to.”
Eh wala naman kasing confidential fund si VP Leni noon. Anong kakalkalin? Baliw to. https://t.co/tlnUYYn9fp
— Jover Laurio (@PinoyAkoBlog) October 2, 2023
Similarly, @gerrycacanindin asserted that VP Leni did not utilize any confidential funds during her tenure.
“Wala pong confidential funds si VP Leni buong termino niya bilang bise. That’s the simple answer. Anong kakalkalin na confidential funds kung walang hiningi ni isang sentimong confidential funds si VP Leni sa loob ng anim na taon?”
Wala pong confidential funds si VP Leni buong termino niya bilang bise. That's the simple answer. Anong kakalkalin na confidential funds kung walang hiningi ni isang sentimong confidential funds si VP Leni sa loob ng anim na taon? pic.twitter.com/e18lqL6G7y
— Gerry Cacanindin (@GerryCacanindin) October 2, 2023
Political analyst Richard Heydarian expressed his disapproval with a simple comment: “Isa pa to,” implying that this was another baseless remark from the senator.
Isa pa to 🥸 https://t.co/6OvwdXredr
— Richard Heydarian (@RichHeydarian) October 2, 2023
Former Dept. of Finance Undersecretary Cielo Magno reminded the senator of his responsibility to the Filipino people, questioning why he didn’t inquire about how VP Duterte’s confidential funds were utilized.
“Ang responsibilidad nyo po ay sa bayan, Sen. Bato. Bakit hindi mo tanungin kung paano at saan ginasta ang confidential fund. Pera yan ng bayan. ”
Ang responsibilidad nyo po ay sa bayan, Sen. Bato. Bakit hindi mo tanungin kung paano at saan ginasta ang confidential fund. Pera yan ng bayan. #HuwagMagingApologist #PeraNgBayanDapatBantayan https://t.co/eUoylyUCPA
— Cielo Magno (@cielo_magno) October 2, 2023
Twitter personality @supernegatrona humorously mocked dela Rosa, tweeting, “Senator Bato niyo — utak graba na naman.”
https://twitter.com/supernegatrona/status/1708804161775739228
Netizen @saltandreality challenged the senator to investigate the budget of the former OVP to prove that VP Leni did not use any confidential funds. They also suggested delving into how the current OVP spent its 125 million confidential funds in just 11 days.
“Edi kalakalin natin para malaman ng buong Pilipinas WALANG CONFIDENTIAL FUNDS SI VP LENI! Pagkatapos kalakalin naman natin saan ginastos ni Sara yung 125 Million in 11 days. Deal?”
Edi kalakalin natin para malaman ng buong Pilipinas WALANG CONFIDENTIAL FUNDS SI VP LENI! Pagkatapos kalakalin naman natin saan ginastos ni Sara yung 125 Million in 11 days. Deal? 😂🙈🙉🙊 https://t.co/RREMZCYyrd
— Your Daily Dose (@SaltAndReality) October 3, 2023
Additionally, echoing Ogie Diaz’s perspective, netizen @leisbeth_recto emphasized that the issue surrounding VP Duterte’s confidential funds was not political but a demand for transparency and accountability.
“Walang halong pulitika ang paghahangad ng mga Pinoy na malaman kung saan winaldas iyong P125-M at maibigay ang P650-M (confidential funds being requested for OVP & DepEd) sa mga ahensiyang mas nangangailangan nito. This is called accountability. Not politicking.”
Walang halong pulitika ang paghahangad ng mga Pinoy na malaman kung saan winaldas iyong P125-M at maibigay ang P650-M (confidential funds being requested for OVP & DepEd) sa mga ahensiyang mas nangangailangan nito.
This is called accountability. Not politicking. https://t.co/vcIuppOqsi
— Leisbeth Recto (@leisbeth_recto) October 2, 2023
@xshane20x joined in the criticism of dela Rosa, along with those who voted for him, stating that electing the senator had been a waste of taxpayers’ money.
“Shame on the people who voted for this unqualified empty head dumbass why are we paying this person and the ones like him to be useless in office?! Such a waste of Tax money!”
shame on the people who voted for this unqualified empty head dumbass why are we paying this person and the ones like him to be useless in office?! Such a waste of Tax money! https://t.co/gFaGGJ1pjO
— Charlie (@xSHANE20x) October 2, 2023
