A quip of senatorial candidate Luke Espiritu to Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa about trying some Filipino foods before his potential arrest ordered by the International Criminal Court (ICC) generated buzz.
The labor leader on Sunday, March 16, posted a picture of him eating “pares” and “papaitan” in a tricycle terminal at Ciudad Nuevo in Naic, Cavite with the following caption:
“”Bato”, dayuhin mo na’to! Kakaiba ang lasa ng pares at papaitan sa tricycle terminal ng Ciudad Nuevo. Wala nang ganito sa The Hague. Dayuhin mo na bago ma-serve sa’yo yung ICC arrest warrant mo! #LukeForwardTayo”
“Pares” refers to a pairing of beef stew, fried rice and soup, while “papaitan” is a regional spicy-bitter stew made with goat innards.
Espiritu’s post has earned 3,500 likes and reactions, almost 150 shares and about 155 comments.
It also made its way to a Philippine community on Reddit, where it has reached 3,300 upvotes so far.
“‘Bato, dayuhin mo na ‘to. Wala nang ganito sa The Hague,'” a Redditor said, quoting Espiritu.
‘Bato, dayuhin mo na to. Wala nang ganito sa The Hague’
byu/Mindless_Sundae2526 inPhilippines
Filipinos who saw the post on Reddit commented with amusement, quipping that it might make the senator “cry.”
“Loko din ‘tong si Luke, pano ‘pag umiyak ‘yun?” a Redditor wrote.
“ISA ‘TO SA MGA PINAKA-MALAKAS MANG-TRASH TALK NGAYON. Hahaha,” another user partly commented.
“Luke should really lean into the OG [original] DOTA trash talk energy, love this,” said a different Redditor with a heart emoticon.
“Huy, [baka] mag-tantrums si Pebbles niyan,” wrote another user with a rolling-on-the-floor laughing emoji.
Some critics of Dela Rosa call him “Pebbles,” a reference to his nickname, which literally means “stone.”
Dela Rosa served as the first chief of the Philippine National Police under former president Rodrigo Duterte‘s six-year term.
As the top cop, he was the architect of Duterte’s “War on Drugs,“ which aimed to eliminate illegal drugs in the country.
Government records said the initiative left over 6,000 dead, but human rights groups estimate it could be as high as 30,000, with many victims being small-time drug dealers and users.
Having played a key role in Duterte’s flagship campaign, Dela Rosa previously referred to himself as the “number two accused” in the ICC’s probe.
The senator has declared his willingness to surrender if arrested, supposedly so he can take care of Duterte, who is detained at The Hague.
Dela Rosa later changed his tune when Senate President Chiz Escudero said the Senate could serve as the lawmaker’s temporary refuge while he prepares his legal defense against his looming arrest.
The former cop said he might consider going into hiding if confronted with “injustice,” referring to the possibility of the Supreme Court rejecting his petitions against the crimes against humanity case being prepared against him.
Duterte was arrested on March 11 (Philippine time) on an ICC warrant for alleged crimes against humanity, specifically murder, in connection with his anti-narcotics campaign.
He is currently in the ICC Detention Center at The Hague in the Netherlands.
