ITAGA MO SA

BATO
A Critical Discourse Analysis of
Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa’s
Campaign Speech at Pampanga

Sandoval, Luisa Angela S.

FULL TEXT OF HIS
SPEECH:
“Noon, meron akong nililigawan,
noong ako’y nandito sa PMA, may
niligawan ako dyan sa Mabalacat,
Pampanga! Kasi sabi nila, ang pinaka
mabilis daw na paraan para matuto ka
ng salitang Kapampangan, ay makipag
lips to lips ka palagi ng Kapampangan
para mabilis yung transfer ng kaalaman!
Eh kaso, binusted ako! Wala, hindi na.
Wala. Hindi ako natuto. But anyway, ang
sabihin ko lang sa inyo: Ako si Bato,
tumatakbo sa pagka senador wala po
akong maipagmayabang sa inyo. Wala
akong eksperyensa sa pulitika! Pulis lang
ako…”
FULL TEXT OF HIS
SPEECH:
“…Pero ako may maipag mayabang sa
inyo. Isa lang: I come with a clean heart.
Malinis po ang puso ko. Kahit na buksan
ninyo ito [points to chest] Kung kayo’y
may makita na dungis ng kasamaan,
dungis ng pag aabuso, dungis ng
pangungurakot, please do not support
me. I don’t deserve your support. Hindi
ako worthy na tulungan ninyo. Kaya ako
matapang ngayon humarap sa inyo dahil
alam kong malinis akong pagkatao.
Malinis po. Kaya, itaga ninyo sa “bato”.
There will never come a time, na kapag
ako’y tinulungan ninyo at ako’y
nananalo, hindi kayo magsisisi. Hinding
ANALYSIS:
WHY
COULD
HE HAVE
SAID
“Noon, meron akong nililigawan, noong ako’y
nandito sa PMA, may niligawan ako dyan sa
Mabalacat, Pampanga! Kasi sabi nila, ang pinaka
mabilis daw na paraan para matuto ka ng
salitang Kapampangan, ay makipag lips to lips ka
palagi ng Kapampangan para mabilis yung
transfer ng kaalaman!”

• First: It’s for him to grab the attention of

the audience. A narration of personal
experience is a technique that can be
utilized when speaking in front of an
audience.
“Noon, meron akong nililigawan, noong ako’y
nandito sa PMA, may niligawan ako dyan sa
Mabalacat, Pampanga! Kasi sabi nila, ang pinaka
mabilis daw na paraan para matuto ka ng
salitang Kapampangan, ay makipag lips to lips ka
palagi ng Kapampangan para mabilis yung
transfer ng kaalaman!”

• Second: So that he can relate himself to

his audience. Given that he was
campaigning in Pampanga, he retold a
story of a woman he used to court that
resided in Mabalacat, Pampanga. (Co-
Cultural; Accommodation)
“Noon, meron akong nililigawan, noong ako’y
nandito sa PMA, may niligawan ako dyan sa
Mabalacat, Pampanga! Kasi sabi nila, ang pinaka
mabilis daw na paraan para matuto ka ng
salitang Kapampangan, ay makipag lips to lips ka
palagi ng Kapampangan para mabilis yung
transfer ng kaalaman!”

• Third: Was there a need for him to say that? No.

He said it to reveal his insensitive jokes. His
story implies that he only pursued the woman
because he wanted to learn Kapampangan. This
connotes to his idea of using women as objects
or using women as a stepping stone to get what
he wants.
“But anyway, ang
sabihin ko lang sa
inyo: Ako si Bato,
tumatakbo sa
pagka senador
wala po akong
maipagmayabang
sa inyo. Wala
akong kayamanan.
Wala akong
eksperyensa sa
pulitika!”

• Pathos: appeal to emotions. (The

Rhetoric of Aristotle)
• The “disclaimer” of him saying that
he has nothing to brag about implies
that he thinks that senate candidates
all have something to brag about,
and that the matrix of the election
revolves on what the candidates
have and not about what they can do
for the country and its people.
“But anyway, ang
sabihin ko lang sa
inyo: Ako si Bato,
tumatakbo sa
pagka senador
wala po akong
maipagmayabang
sa inyo. Wala
akong kayamanan.
Wala akong
eksperyensa sa
pulitika!”

• “Wala po akong
maipagmamayabang
sa inyo” connotes
that he humbles
himself down so that
the normal Filipinos
would see themselves
reflected by his
image.
“But anyway, ang
sabihin ko lang sa
inyo: Ako si Bato,
tumatakbo sa
pagka senador
wala po akong
maipagmayabang
sa inyo. Wala
akong kayamanan.
Wala akong
eksperyensa sa
pulitika!”

• He focuses more on
the self, rather than
what he can offer and
what good he can do
to the people he
wishes to serve for.
(Philosophical Leisure
Recuperative Praxis;
Narcissism)
“Pulis
lang
ako”

• The lang in the sentence means that he

thinks being a police man and running in
the senate is a disadvantage because you
are just a police officer.
• He is trying to equate himself as the
underdog therefore seeking sympathy from
the masses, saying that he is not like the
well- educated, versed, professional
politicians that are running alongside him.
“Pero ako may
maipag
mayabang sa
inyo. Isa lang: I
come with a
clean heart.”

• “I come with a clean heart.” It’s a phrase

that is so easy to say, yet so hard to prove.
• Another take on appeal to the people’s
emotions.
• He is still striving to relate himself with the
people. Saying that he has a clean heart.
“Pero ako may
maipag
mayabang sa
inyo. Isa lang: I
come with a
clean heart.”

• Does he not think that his other co-

candidates have a clean heart? This
connotes that he is trying to make an
impression to his audience that if ever he
will win, his clean heart will reflect his
actions in the senate.
“Pero ako may
maipag
mayabang sa
inyo. Isa lang: I
come with a
clean heart.”

• If a clean heart is what the senate needs,

then many people would have been qualified.
Having a clean heart does not make you any
different from any other candidate. Many have
said positive things about themselves as well.
“Malinis po ang
puso ko. Kahit
na buksan
ninyo ito
[points to
chest] Kung
kayo’y may
makita na
dungis ng
kasamaan,
dungis ng pag
aabuso, dungis
ng
pangungurakot,
please do not
support me. I
don’t deserve
“Malinis po ang
puso ko. Kahit
na buksan
ninyo ito
[points to
chest] Kung
kayo’y may
makita na
dungis ng
kasamaan, • He’s saying
dungis ng pag things that are
aabuso, dungis impossible to
ng prove. Opening
pangungurakot, one’s heart
please do not literally will not
support me. I reveal the true
don’t deserve intentions of such
“Malinis po ang
puso ko. Kahit
na buksan
ninyo ito
[points to
chest] Kung
kayo’y may
• Saying “please
makita na
do not support me”
dungis ng “I don’t deserve
kasamaan, your support” and
dungis ng pag “Hindi ako worthy
aabuso, dungis na tulungan ninyo”
ng are techniques to
pangungurakot, reverse psychology
that will get the
please do not
audience onto
support me. I thinking that he is
don’t deserve the person to vote
“Malinis po ang
puso ko. Kahit
na buksan
ninyo ito
[points to • The “pag
aabuso”
chest] Kung “pangungurakot”
kayo’y may mentioned by him
makita na implies that he is
dungis ng aware of the dirty
kasamaan, business going on
dungis ng pag inside the
aabuso, dungis government, and
yet his take on that
ng is to make him look
pangungurakot, as if he does not
please do not belong to that dirty
support me. I group that does
don’t deserve dirty business.
 “Kaya, itaga
ninyo sa ‘bato’. “

• His use of his last name, as a metaphor

for a famous Filipino idiom “itaga mo man
sa bato” which actually is rooted to
making promises and marking one’s word,
is a strategic way of incorporating his so-
called “clean heart” to his last name.
“There will
never come a
time, na
kapag ako’y
tinulungan
ninyo at
ako’y
nananalo, • When translated
hindi kayo to Tagalog
Layman’s terms
magsisisi. it would equate
Hinding hindi to: “Hindi
kayo darating ang
magsisisi.” panahon na
kapag ako’y
tinulungan ninyo
at nanalo ako,
ay hindi kayo
“There will
never come a
time, na
kapag ako’y
tinulungan
• Given that what
ninyo at he wanted to
ako’y say was that the
nananalo, people who
hindi kayo voted for him
will never regret
magsisisi. doing so, it
Hinding hindi implies that
kayo Filipinos have a
way of voting for
magsisisi.” people, and then
regretting it
after they win
and get elected.
“There will
never come a
time, na
kapag ako’y
tinulungan
• He is trying
ninyo at to note that
ako’y Filipinos have
nananalo, elected
hindi kayo politicians who
serve no good
magsisisi. purpose to the
Hinding hindi country hence,
kayo the “pagsisisi”
of the voters;
magsisisi.” and yet again,
he is trying to
differentiate
himself from
“There will
never come a
time, na
kapag ako’y
tinulungan
ninyo at
ako’y • The easiest
question to
nananalo, ask with
hindi kayo regards to
magsisisi. this
Hinding hindi statement is:
hindi ba
kayo dapat kapag
magsisisi.” binoto at
nanalo’y
hindi naman
dapat
pagsisihan?
ANALYSIS:
MACRO
LEVEL
Addressing
the
relationship
of the text
and the
broader
social
processes
and
ideologies:

• His campaign speech was delivered on February

13, 2019. At the time given, it was very
widespread that those who had history of
corruption and of dirty business in the politics are
running for senate as well. He mentioned that he
has a good heart, to appeal to the people that he
is not like the traditional politicians or trapos.
ANALYSIS:
MESO
LEVEL
Context of
production
and
reception
of text

• Bato incorporated the appeal to the emotions

more on his speech to use as a strategy to obtain
the hearts and sympathy of the people.
• He is aware that poor and marginalized people will
hear this speech that is why he said it in Filipino,
and in layman’s terms, in order for them to
understand what he is trying to campaign for.
ANALYSIS:
MICRO
LEVEL
 Analysis of
what is
actually
being said in
the text

• It is clear that what Bato Dela Rosa is trying

to get in his speech is sympathy from the
masses. Through mentioning that he has
nothing to brag about aside from his clean
heart, he indirectly voices out to the Filipino
people that if he wins, the people who voted
for him will not regret doing so; which
implies that he will do his rightful job in the
CONCLUSI
ON:
• Bato generally plays with the
appeal to the emotion to get the
votes of the people. (The Rhetoric
of Aristotle)
• He relates himself to the normal
Filipinos by trying to mention that
he is just like them. (Co- Cultural
Theory)
• He talks more of what he is and
what he is not, rather than
addressing what good he can do
and offer to the people.
(Recuperative Praxis)
REFERENC
ES
• https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/02/27/dela-rosa-takes-
back-statement-on-german-hostage-beheading/
• https://www.rappler.com/nation/202366-ronald-bato-
dela-rosa-death-penalty-war-on-drugs
• https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/864555/bato-dela-rosa-
told-to-focus-on-ridding-pnp-of-rogue-cops
• https://www.rappler.com/nation/150539-san-francisco-
pnp-illegal-drugs
• https://www.rappler.com/nation/179049-lawmakers-cuy-
dela-rosa-absence-dilg-budget-hearing
• https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/17/18/whos-
qualified-to-be-the-next-pnp-chief-bato-answers
• Griffin, Em. A First Look At Communication Theory. New
York: McGraw- Hill, 2012.