Bato: Drug war aimed to save youth, prevent PH from becoming ‘narco-state’

Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa on Thursday said the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte waged the war on drugs to save the youth and prevent the Philippines from becoming a “narco-state.”

The reelectionist lawmaker made the statement during a campaign event in Ermita, Manila.

“Kami ni Pangulo Duterte, ni-launch namin ang war on drugs hindi para kami yumaman, hindi para kami magkaka-pera. Ginawa namin ni Pangulo Duterte ang war on drugs para maisalba ang kabataan sa problema ng illegal na droga. ‘Yan po ang katotohan,” Dela Rosa said.

(President Duterte and I launched the war on drugs not to be rich or earn money. We created the war to salvage the youth from the problem of illegal drugs. That’s the truth.)

“Pangalawang rason bakit namin ni-launch yun ay para mapigilan ang pagiging narco-state ng Pilipinas (the second reason we launched the war on drugs is to prevent the Philippines from becoming a narco-state),” he added.

Dela Rosa said that before he became a senator, and Duterte the president, they observed that there were provinces controlled by drug lords. He did not specify which provinces he was referring to.

“Yung mga drug lords na ang sasabi kung sino pwede maging gobernador, sino pwede magiging congressman, sino pwede maging mayor. Ganoon na po sila kapowerful dahil grabe ang kanilang resources, grabe ang pera nila,” he said.

(The drug lords were dictating who would be the governor, congressman, and mayor. That was how powerful they were because of their resources and money.)

Dela Rosa was the police chief during the Duterte administration. He previously said the drug war was necessary. 

Meanwhile, Duterte stood firm on not apologizing for his administration's war on drugs as he said he takes “full, legal responsibility” on the matter. 

Based on government records, there were at least 6,000 drug suspects who were killed in anti-drug police operations.

However, human rights groups have tallied 30,000 drug suspects killed, including 17-year-old Kian Delos Santos who was murdered in 2017 by cops who arrested him. — Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News

For more Eleksyon 2025 related content and updates, visit GMA News Online's Eleksyon 2025 microsite.