Senator-elect Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa falsely claimed he topped the senatorial race in the May 13 midterm elections in the National Capital Region (NCR), or Metro Manila, calling it a validation of the public’s support for the government’s anti-drug campaign.

STATEMENT

De la Rosa, former chief of the Philippine National Police, said in a CNN Philippines interview on May 26 that he could not believe what he had achieved: a “probinsyano” getting the most number of votes among senatorial candidates in Metro Manila.

He said:

“I can’t just imagine ha, ako ay isang probinsyano pero bakit ako naging number one dito sa Metro Manila? (I come from the province but why did I become number one here in Metro Manila?) Among all the senators, ako ang number one na nanalo dito (I am number one here). And to think na (that) Metro Manila is badly hit by the war on drugs, ang daming namatay dito, ang daming nahuli dito, ang daming nag-surrender dito (many have died here, many have been arrested, many have surrendered)...”

Dela Rosa added:

“Pero ginawa nila akong number one, ibig sabihin, nagustuhan nila yung ating Oplan Tokhang. (But they made me number one, so it means they (Metro Manila voters) were pleased with our Oplan Tokhang.) So that’s a confirmation na ‘yung ginagawa natin ay maganda, hindi masama (that what we do is good, and not evil).”

Source: CNN Philippines Youtube, ‘The Source’ speaks to Bato dela Rosa, May 27, 2019, watch from 3:47 to 4:48

FACT

De la Rosa placed sixth in Metro Manila.

Sen. Cynthia Villar, who is from Las Piñas--one of the cities in Metro Manila--and the overall topnotcher in the senatorial race, got the most number of votes in Metro Manila with 3,128,910 votes, based on election returns displayed in the transparency servers of ABS-CBN News, GMA News and Inquirer.net as of May 22.

Villar was followed by reelectionist Grace Poe, former House Deputy Speaker Pia Cayetano, former special assistant to the president Christopher “Bong” Go, reelectionist Sonny Angara and finally, De la Rosa.

Bato was endorsed by President Rodrigo Duterte alongside senators-elect Villar, Go, Cayetano, former Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos, former presidential political adviser Francis Tolentino and reelectionists Angara and Koko Pimentel.

Sources

CNN Philippines Youtube, ‘The Source’ speaks to Bato dela Rosa, May 27, 2019

ABS-CBN News website, Halalan 2019: Bato Dela Rosa

ABS-CBN News website, Halalan 2019: Cynthia Villar

ABS-CBN News website, Halalan 2019: Grace Poe

ABS-CBN News website, Halalan 2019: Pia Cayetano

ABS-CBN News website, Halalan 2019: Bong Go

ABS-CBN News website, Halalan 2019: Sonny Angara

GMA News Online, Eleksyon 2019: National Capital Region - Manila

GMA News Online, Eleksyon 2019: National Capital Region - Second District

GMA News Online, Eleksyon 2019: National Capital Region - Third District

GMA News Online, Eleksyon 2019: National Capital Region - Fourth District

GMA News Online, Eleksyon 2019: National Capital Region - Taguig-Pateros

Inquirer.net, 2019 Philippine Elections: Local Results, National Capital Region

(Guided by the code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network at Poynter, VERA Files tracks the false claims, flip-flops, misleading statements of public officials and figures, and debunks them with factual evidence. Find out more about this initiative and our methodology.)