Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 27) — Sen. Ronald dela Rosa said some Filipinos are questioning the timing of the House resolutions urging the Marcos government to cooperate with the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) probe into the drug war of the Duterte administration.
“Bakit ngayon lang ‘yan nagsipaglabasan itong mga resolution kung kailan nagkakaroon ng gusot between the Speaker of the House (Martin Romualdez) and Vice President (Sara) Duterte and former President (Rodrigo) Duterte?” he told CNN Philippines’ The Source on Monday.
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“Parang bang the people are thinking that, ‘Are they going to weaponize the ICC in order to silence the Dutertes?’ ‘Yon ang nagiging tanong,” he added.
[Translation: Why did they file the resolutions only now when there’ s a rift between the Speaker of the House and Vice President Duterte and former President Duterte? It seems the people are thinking that, “Are they going to weaponize the ICC in order to silence the Dutertes?” That’s the question.]
Dela Rosa served as chief of the Philippine National Police during the Duterte administration. He is the chief implementor of the drug war.
Currently, there are three House resolutions on the ICC’s probe. These were filed by Representatives France Castro, Arlene Brosas, and Raoul Daniel Manuel of the Makabayan bloc; Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. and 1-Rider Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez; and Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros told CNN Philippines she is “seriously considering” filing a counterpart resolution in the Senate.
“Maybe they thought tatahimik si former president Duterte kapag tinatakot nila about ICC…‘yon ang komento na naririnig ko from people discussing…this issue,” Dela Rosa said.
[Translation: Maybe they thought former president Duterte will keep quiet if they scare him about the ICC. That’s the comment I’m hearing from people discussing this issue.]
But the senator admitted that he was surprised with the filing of the resolutions, except for the one filed by Makabayan lawmakers.
The ICC will continue to investigate the drug war after the Appeals Chamber of the court rejected the plea of the Philippine government against the resumption of the probe.
The Philippines officially stopped being an ICC member state in March 2019, or one year after former president Duterte formally submitted to the United Nations the country’s written notice of withdrawal from the Rome Statute, the ICC’s founding document.
Dela Rosa said it would need the country’s representative at The Hague to enter into an agreement with the Rome Statute, which has to be ratified by the president and also concurred by the Senate via two-thirds of the votes of all its members.
Last week, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said his administration is studying whether the country should rejoin the ICC, but insists that the body has “no jurisdiction” to probe the drug war.
Dela Rosa said he is preparing for the possibility that the Philippines might rejoin the ICC.
He also stressed that it will be another issue if Marcos heeds to the calls for Manila to cooperate with the ICC.
