Senators welcome Marcos' reconciliation call; Bato seeks sincerity

Some senators welcomed President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s remark on being open to reconciliation with the members of the Duterte family.

Duterte ally Sen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa, who just won his reelection bid, said the President needed to show "extreme sincerity."

“Magandang simulain ‘yan. Sino ba naman ang may gusto ng away, lahat naman tayo gusto katahimikan pero ‘yun nga lang, kung sinsero sila sa kanilang sinasabi,” Dela Rosa told reporters in an interview. 

(That's a good start. Who even wants a fight? We all want peace but we have to determine if they are sincere in what they say.) 

“Sa lalim ng sugat na in-inflict nila sa amin, I think kailangan talaga ng extreme sincerity. Hindi ‘yung pahapyaw,” he added. 

(With the depth of the wound they inflicted on us, I think extreme sincerity is really needed.) 

Asked if he thinks Marcos was sincere in what he said, the newly reelected senator said, “I don't know dahil may experience na ako sa kanya na ibang sinabi, ibang ginawa. So, mahirap akong makapagsabi kung sincere siya o hindi.”

(I don't know because I have experience with the President saying something but doing the opposite of it. So, it's hard for me to say if he's sincere or not.) 

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III said Marcos’ openness to reconciliation was “the best attitude that a President can adopt.”

“Whether others will also change their attitude is already beyond the control of the President,” the outgoing lawmaker said in a statement. 

Pimentel, however, said that the rule of law should still be observed in other government processes like the impeachment case of Vice President Sara Duterte. 

Dela Rosa, who served as PNP chief during the Duterte administration and was the chief implementer of the war on drugs, recalled how the Marcos administration surrendered former President Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC). 

Rodrigo Duterte is currently detained in the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague for charges of crimes against humanity for the extrajudicial killings during his administration’s bloody drug war. 

Senator-elect Ping Lacson, meanwhile, said that what Marcos said was “very typical” of him as a person. He also said that the President still has three remaining years in his term to make necessary adjustments for the reconciliation of both parties. 

“His kindness and the goodness of his heart in dealing with people are being interpreted by both his allies and adversaries as a weakness of his leadership,” Lacson said.

“That said, he may need a strong but well-intentioned ‘bastonero’ in his cabinet who is capable of making government officials, including members of Congress, toe the line towards good governance,” he continued.

Senator JV Ejercito is also hoping for positive developments following Marcos’ statement, stressing that they can help the people and the country move forward if they “join forces.” 

“Sa mga lumalabas na pahayag at mga balita, mukhang malalim na ang alitan at hidwaan. Pero kahit parang malabo at mahirap sa ngayon, umaasa pa rin tayo, at praying, na magkakaroon ng positive development,” he said.

(It seems that their rift is already deep, based on the statements and news coming out. Despite their reconciliation being a bit of a stretch right now, we are still hoping and praying that there will be positive developments.) 

‘Bring Duterte back’

Former presidential legal counsel Atty. Salvador Panelo, on the other hand, said that the reconciliation with Marcos can only happen if Rodrigo Duterte returns to the country. 

“Reconciliation can only start if FPRRD is brought back to the Philippines,” Panelo told GMA News Online. 

Marcos and Rodrigo’s daughter Sara were running mates in the 2022 elections, with the latter being appointed as Education chief. Their relations, however, had gone sour as Sara Duterte eventually quit from the Cabinet post.

The Vice President was also impeached by the House of Representatives on February 5, with over 200 lawmakers endorsing the complaint against her. She was accused of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the constitution, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.

The Duterte family has called what has been happening to them as “political attacks” from the Marcos administration. –NB, GMA Integrated News