Rodrigo Duterte on Bato dela Rosa's birthday: 'Magpakatigas ka na parang bato'

Vice President Sara Duterte said her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, has a witty greeting for Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa for his 64th birthday. 

“Kanina nag-usap kami ni Pangulong Duterte at sinabi ko sa kanya na birthday ni Senator Bato Dela Rosa. Sabi ko, ‘Meron ka bang message kay Senator Bato Dela Rosa?’ Sabi niya, ‘Happy birthday, Senator Bato. Magpakatigas ka na parang bato,’” the Vice President said in an interview on January 22. 

(Former president Duterte and I talked earlier and I told him it was Senator Bato Dela Rosa's birthday. I asked him if he has a message for the senator. He said, 'Happy birthday, Senator Bato. Be as strong as a rock.) 

Sara Duterte is in The Hague, Netherlands to visit her father Rodrigo who has been detained there since March 2025 for charges of crimes against humanity over alleged extrajudicial killings during his administration's drug war.

Dela Rosa, meanwhile, is a known ally of the Duterte family. He served as the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and main implementer of the campaign against illegal drugs during the previous administration. 

The senator, however, has not made any public appearance and has not attended any session at the Senate since November 11. 

His absences began after Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla alleged that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued a warrant of arrest against him over the bloody war on drugs. 

On Wednesday, as he celebrated his birthday, Dela Rosa broke his silence, saying that he is “waiting for a true seeking for justice to emerge and take over.”

“If indeed there are cases against me, then I wait for a time and a certainty that I shall be able to face these cases as a Filipino, before Filipinos. Kung papayag lamang ako na ako'y huhulihin at lilitisin ng mga tao at korteng banyaga, tila binalewala ko na rin ang pakikipaglaban ng ating mga bayani at sundalo para sa ating kasarinlan,” the senator said.

(If I would just allow myself to get arrested and tried by foreign people and courts, it would seem that I also ignored the fight of our heroes and soldiers for our independence.) — RSJ, GMA Integrated News