Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa during the hearing of the Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality on October 8, 2024. Photo from the Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau

MANILA, Philippines — ACT Teachers party-list on Sunday denounced Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s “discriminatory and insensitive remarks” against Akbayan party-list Rep. Percival Cendaña, a stroke survivor.

House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro and former Rep. Antonio Tinio criticized Dela Rosa’s statement mocking Cendaña’s facial appearance, calling it “cruel” and a “distraction” from critical issues.

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Dela Rosa’s comment was in response to Cendaña’s reaction to impeached Vice President Sara Duterte’s remark that losing a partner is more painful than being impeached by the House of Representatives.

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“Your face looks as though it has been punched, that’s why it’s skewed,” Dela Rosa said in Bisaya. “Come here so I can punch the other side of your face and make it balanced.”

READ: Dela Rosa draws flak for mocking stroke survivor Cendaña

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Castro said Dela Rosa’s comment has “no place in political discourse,” which should be focused on issues.

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“Senator Dela Rosa’s remarks are not only cruel but also reflect the kind of toxic politics that the Dutertes represent,” Castro said in Filipino.

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She added that instead of addressing corruption and abuse of power raised in the impeachment complaint against the Vice President, Dela Rosa resorted to personal attacks by mocking Cendaña’s facial appearance.

Despite Ponce de Leon’s roots in the peaceful provincial town of Dumaguete, he appears captivated by the frenetic cycle and fast-paced art world in the city. “I work best under stress and pressure. It’s all or nothing,” he says with a relaxed smile.

Tinio, meanwhile, called Dela Rosa’s actions “unbecoming” of a lawmaker.

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“Bato should stick to the issues at hand. What he did was too below the belt and not befitting of a senator,” Tinio said in a mix of English and Filipino.

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“Then again, the vice president and president (former president Rodrigo Duterte) he is defending don’t exactly exhibit proper conduct either,” he added.

Tino also questioned whether Dela Rosa was trying to divert attention from the controversies surrounding former President Duterte and Vice President Duterte.

“Is this how desperate the Duterte camp has become? Is Senator dela Rosa struggling so much to defend the Dutertes that he resorts to such shallow tactics to divert the issue?” he asked.

Castro further stressed that Dela Rosa’s behavior and Vice President Duterte’s statement on her impeachment show a disregard for democratic institutions and proper discourse.

“Instead of addressing the serious allegations in the impeachment complaint, they resort to trivializing the process and attacking critics personally,” Castro added.

READ: Dela Rosa apologizes for mocking stroke survivor Cendaña

Earlier on Sunday, Dela Rosa apologized after his comment mocking Cendaña’s facial appearance stirred backlash.

“The past few days have weighed heavily on Filipinos, especially among us Mindanaoans and other Cebuano-speaking people. Many people were angry, and because I empathized with their anger, I was able to say words that were not nice and hurt the feelings of others,” his statement reads.

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“I apologize for what I said and didrich 888, particularly in failing to see the bigger picture. My apologies to Congressman Perci Cendaña for my offensive comments on his person. I wish him good health. I make no excuses and I take full responsibility for the hurt my words have caused,” he added.

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