Edu Manzano Asks Why Government Is Offering P50 Million for Bato dela Rosa’s Capture
Veteran actor and TV host Edu Manzano has once again spoken up on a national issue, this time questioning the P50-million bounty the government placed on Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa. In a Facebook post, Edu called for transparency on the legal basis of the reward, as reported by GMA Entertainment.
“Is it wrong to ask why the government is offering PhP 50 million for Bato’s capture when no Philippine court has issued a local warrant for his arrest?” the actor wrote. He added that the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant is “a separate matter” and that “the public deserves a clear explanation of the legal basis for this bounty and the use of public funds.”
The reward was announced on October 23 by Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, who declared the senator “armed and dangerous” and gave him 10 days to surrender, according to GMA News. Dela Rosa, a former PNP chief, faces an ICC arrest warrant for crimes against humanity as an alleged co-perpetrator of former President Rodrigo Duterte in the drug war killings. Both have denied the allegations, and the senator last attended a Senate session on May 13.
The senator’s lawyers from Torreon and Partners have argued that the DILG’s own reward rules require a valid Philippine arrest warrant and a case number before a person can be listed as a most wanted person. They also warned that the “armed and dangerous” tag, combined with a large bounty, could invite vigilante action, as reported by INQUIRER.net.
Malacañang defended the bounty anew on October 29, while Dela Rosa’s camp has asked the Supreme Court for a temporary restraining order to stop the implementation of both the ICC warrant and the reward offer. The camp maintains that the only document the government holds is a warrant from a foreign tribunal under a treaty the Philippines withdrew from effective March 17, 2019, according to KAMI.com.ph.
This is not the first time Edu has weighed in on government matters online. He earlier made headlines with his witty reaction to the controversial P500 Noche Buena budget, and he has also spoken up about Filipinos repeatedly being praised for resilience in the face of avoidable hardships.
Whether netizens agree with him or not, Edu’s question echoes a familiar call from many Filipinos: when public money is involved, the public deserves to know why.
