Bato revives death penalty, ROTC bills in Senate return

Reelected Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa opened his second term in the Senate by reviving key legislative priorities, including the reimposition of the death penalty for large-scale drug traffickers, mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), and amendments to the Party-List System Act.

Dela Rosa, a former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, refiled a bill seeking to reinstate capital punishment, describing the illegal drug trade as the "fuel that ignites the commission of other heinous crimes."

“This bill has become more than a campaign promise or a legal stand, but a realization of our commitment to the families left behind by victims of drug-related crimes,” he said.“It is our continued declaration of war against drugs that have destroyed our country and caused violence and national insecurity,” he added.

Alongside this measure, Dela Rosa also refiled a bill institutionalizing the Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (ADACs) in local government units. He emphasized the need for a whole-of-nation approach to combating drug use and trafficking.

Dela Rosa also pushed for the revival of the mandatory ROTC program. The bill, which reached the period of debates in the previous Congress, mirrors Dela Rosa's earlier version presented on the Senate floor. He argued that reinstating ROTC is vital for fostering discipline and patriotism among Filipino youth.

In line with his national security agenda, Dela Rosa also refiled a bill institutionalizing the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), which aims to establish a permanent council to oversee the government’s peace initiatives and implement a national peace framework.

Dela Rosa further filed a bill amending the Party-List System Act to bar groups allegedly affiliated with local terrorist organizations from joining Congress through the party-list system.

Other measures he refiled include the proposed Jail Integration Act, which seeks to transfer control of local jails to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), and a bill reclassifying the ranks of personnel in the BJMP and Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to address existing inequalities among personnel of these agencies.

“It is my hope that the Senate will give utmost importance to the bills I filed. These measures are aimed at addressing the pressing needs of our society and our country as a whole,” Dela Rosa said.