Senator Ronald Dela Rosa kicked off his second term by refiling key bills he championed in the previous Congress, including the reinstatement of the death penalty for large-scale drug traffickers, mandatory ROTC, and amendments to the Party-List System Act.
Reintroducing his bill on capital punishment, Dela Rosa, a former police chief, criticized the persistent drug problem in the country, calling it the “fuel” behind many heinous crimes.
“This bill has become more than a campaign promise or a legal stand, but the realization of our commitment to those families left behind by the victims of crimes involving drugs,” he said. “It is our continued declaration of war against drugs that has destroyed our country and have caused violence, and national insecurity.”
To strengthen local anti-drug efforts, Dela Rosa also refiled a bill institutionalizing the Anti-Drug Abuse Councils in local governments, advocating a whole-of-nation approach to drug prevention.
Continuing his push for national security reforms, the reelected lawmaker renewed calls to make ROTC mandatory, a measure that reached the debate stage in the last Congress.
He also filed bills to institutionalize the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and to ban party-list groups linked to terrorist organizations from running for Congress.
Under his proposed ELCAC bill, a council would coordinate peace efforts and implement a national peace framework. His amendments to the Party-List System Act aim to prevent groups with rebel ties from entering government.
Dela Rosa also refiled the Jail Integration Act, which would transfer local jail supervision to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), and a bill to address rank disparities in the BJMP and the Bureau of Fire Protection.
“It is my hope that the Senate will give utmost importance to the bills I filed. These measures are aimed to address the pressing needs of our society and our country as a whole,” he said.IMT
