Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 18) — The Senate will protect Senator Ronald dela Rosa, who is among the accused in the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) drug war probe, unless a local court issues an arrest warrant against him.
\”If there’s no local warrant for his arrest, then he should be accorded the respect of a senator of the republic and be protected as such,\” Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri told a press briefing.
Zubiri made the statement hours before the ICC Appeals Chamber rejected the Philippine government’s plea against the resumption of the probe.
He recalled the case of former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV – who took refuge in the Senate in 2018 pending an arrest warrant – as then President Rodrigo Duterte voided the amnesty granted him years prior.
During Duterte’s term, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency said over 6,200 people were killed in police’s anti-drug operations.
But local and international human rights organizations estimated an even higher tally of between 12,000 and 30,000.
In the case of Dela Rosa, Zubiri stressed that the ICC should submit to Philippine authorities on the issue.
\”The problem is, we have a local justice system. We have a Department of Justice, we have a secretary of justice, we have our own penal codes, we have our own laws,\” he said.
\”The usual route niyan is the ICC will apply with the local country, kasi dapat yung magte-take custody dito sa case na ito is the local courts, ‘di ba?\” Zubiri added.
[Translation: The usual route is that the ICC will apply with the local country, because it should be the local courts who should take custody of the case, right?]
Unfazed
Dela Rosa, who was chief of the Philippine National Police when Duterte launched the bloody anti-drug campaign, said he did not even monitor the ICC’s announcement.
“Wala naman tayong magagawa kung ituloy nila, di naman natin sila kontrolado. So hayaan mo lang sila kung ano ang gusto nilang gawin, ang importante nandito lang tayo,” he told Senate reporters.
[Translation: We can’t do anything about it anyway, we don’t control them. Let them do whatever they want. The important thing is we’re just here.]
The senator also said he is confident President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will not honor any warrant of arrest from the ICC.
Dela Rosa also said he and his lawyer – fellow Senator Francis Tolentino – are not making any preparations for now.
“Saka na siya mag-prepare pag nahuli ako…Just in case babiyahe ako sa ibang bansa at arestuhin ako doon,” he said.
[Translation: He will just prepare once I’m arrested…Just in case I travel abroad and I get arrested there.]
Dela Rosa, who is currently in Marawi City, also stressed that he will not go into hiding.
