MANILA, Philippines — Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa on Wednesday fired back at a radio personality who called for his resignation after he remarked that he will “live and die” with President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Sabihan mo si DJ Chacha baka ang alam lang nya ay magchacha,” Dela Rosa said in a text message, referring to radio jock Czarina Balba, better known as DJ Chacha.

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(Tell DJ Cha Cha that maybe what she only knows is how to dance cha-cha)

“Mali ba ang maging loyal sa isang (Is it wrong to be loyal to a) duly elected President who is after the welfare of his people and who is willing to confront the oligarchs who have been bastardizing this country for so long ?” said Dela Rosa.

“Sabihan mo sya (Tell her), I am willing to hear her answer,” he added.

In a tweet on Tuesday, the radio jock urged Dela Rosa to resign and apply as a bodyguard of the President.

“I suggest mag-resign na dapat si Senator Bato sa pagiging senador at mag-apply na bodyguard ng Presidente tutal naman ang loyalty niya ay sa Pangulo at hindi sa taong bayan,” she said.

(I suggest Senator Bato should resign and instead apply as the President’s bodyguard since his loyalty is with him and not to the nation.)

READ: DJ Chacha to ‘Bato’: Resign, apply as Duterte’s bodyguard instead

Pressed for an answer to the resignation call, Dela Rosa said: Siya ang tanungin mo kung ang pagexpress ko ng (You ask her if my expression) of loyalty to the President is enough basis for me to resign.”

The radio personality’s call for the senator to resign was made after Dela Rosa reaffirmed his support for Duterte when asked in an interview at the Senate last Tuesday how the President’s opinion on ABS-CBN could influence his vote on the broadcast network’s franchise renewal bid.

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The radio personality has programs in ABS-CBN’s AM and FM stations.

READ: Dela Rosa: 11k workers affected by ABS-CBN shutdown? How about the Filipino nation?

Duterte has repeatedly threatened to block the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN, citing, among others, its failure to air his paid political advertisements during the 2016 presidential elections campaign period.

ABS-CBN’s franchise is set to expire on March 30 this year but the House of Representatives has yet to act on pending franchise renewal bills.

GSG

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