Dela Rosa stresses bona fide intent to run for president, ready for one big fight

PRESIDENTIAL candidate and incumbent Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa reiterated his sincerity in his candidacy to become the next president of the Philippines, as he promised opponents a "one big fight."

Dela Rosa, the standard-bearer of the ruling party PDP-Laban in the May 2022 elections, stated this when he was told in an online interview that an unnamed election lawyer allegedly said that the senator could be declared a nuisance candidate because he had stated his willingness to back out from the presidential race if Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio decides to run for president.

"[Kung] sabihin ba niya, 'yung nuisance candidate ba ay hindi nagpapakita ng sinseridad sa kanyang pagtakbo?Hindi ba ako sincere sa aking pagtakbo ngayon? I'm very sincere, but I'm open as a team player," the PDP-Laban standard-bearer said on Wednesday.

"I am open to any changes that may happen before November 15. Pero kung sinseridad ang tinatanong niya, sabihan mo 'yang election lawyer na 'yan, 'Come here and open my heart. Tingnan mo ang nasa loob ng puso ko kung hindi ko ba gustong maging Pangulo ng ating bansa. Tingnan mo, you scrutinize my heart kung nagdududa ka sa aking sinseridad.' Sabihan mo 'yang election lawyer na 'yan," the senator added.

November 15 is the deadline for the substitution of candidates in the May 2022 elections.

For his part, Commission on Elections spokesperson James Jimenez clarified recently that merely declaring willingness to be substituted in the election does not make one a nuisance candidate.

"A mere declaration to the contrary wouldn't, in my opinion, be sufficient to overcome the intention to run which is manifested in the verified COC (certificate of candidacy),"Jimenez said.

The Mindanaoan Senator said that he might be considered an underdog given that he had the shortest time to prepare and was the last to declare his candidacy, but he will carry on and give his opponents "a one big fight."

"We are in for a one big fight at lalaban po ako. Hindi po ako aatras. Wala pa akong inatrasan na laban...at tuluy-tuloy po ito. Kahit na sabihin mong underdog tayo, I still promise to give them a one big fight. One good fight."

Dela Rosa, former chief of the Philippine National Police, ran and won in the 2019 senatorial election where he garnered 19 million votes and ranked fifth.