Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla’s announcement that the International Criminal Court (ICC) may have already issued an arrest warrant against Senator Ronald dela Rosa generated excitement, but a human rights lawyer clarified that the tribunal has yet to confirm it did.
Assistant to counsel to the ICC Kristina Conti said that the prosecution cannot confirm Remulla’s announcement as the Court has not publicly shared and posted about the awaited development.
“As before, we cannot confirm something that the Court has not publicly shared. The warrant of arrest against Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa, in case it has been issued, has not yet been publicly shared and posted,” Conti wrote.
Remulla said in their Saturday DZRH radio show that the ICC may have issued a warrant against the author and chief implementer of the bloody drug war of the Rodrigo Duterte regime.
“I have it on good authority that the ICC has issued a warrant (arrest) against Sen. Bato dela Rosa,” Remulla said.
But Conti maintained that even without a formal announcement against dela Rosa, an arrest warrant “is certain from what victims know and what the prosecution has presented.”
The recent Ten Outstanding Women in Nation Service awardee said the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration has to enforce dela Rosa’s arrest and surrender to the ICC as part of the Philippines’ continuing obligations to the ICC.
As Duterte’s first national police chief, dela Rosa formulated the national anti-illegal drugs campaign Project “Double Barrel.”
He bragged that his project was a “scaled up” version of their Davao model, saying, “If someone fights back, they’ll die. If nobody fights back, we’ll make them fight back.”
Thousands of killings and arrests were reported by the Duterte administration as accomplishments in the “war on drugs.”
Victim’s families urged Bato’s arrest
Remulla’s announcement excited the families of dela Rosa and Duterte’s victims, also urging Marcos Jr. to have the senator arrested once the ICC does indeed issue an arrest order.
Rise Up for Life and for Rights, an organization of families of drug-related killings and their supporters, said they have long been waiting for the day when Duterte’s co-perpetrators would join him in detention at the ICC jail in The Netherlands.
“Deserved ni Bato na makasama si Duterte sa kulungan. Gaya ng kanyang amo, walang awang ipinag-utos ni Bato ang pagpatay sa aming mga mahal sa buhay,” Llore Pasco whose two sons were killed in anti-drug operations said.
The group underscored that Dela Rosa played a role in replicating and expanding the “Davao Death Squad” model to the national level when he became the head of the Philippine National Police (PNP) under President Duterte.
“Bato is a true-blue DDS – Diehard Duterte Supporter and Davao Death Squad model implementer. He is clearly a co-perpetrator in the commission of crimes against humanity,” Rev. Rubylin Litao, Rise Up national coordinator, said.
Jane Lee, whose husband was killed during the tokhang operations said they are not losing hope that Duterte’s co-perpetrators would be jailed.
Rise Up for Life and for Rights also called on the Philippine Senate not to block the arrest of Dela Rosa, and challenged Marcos Jr. not to enter into compromises with the Duterte camp.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III, in a declaration seen as a move to protect his shaky leadership of the chamber, said he will not allow any arrest to be implemented within their premises.
His announcement was immediately met by Rise Up with condemnation, saying “The Senate cannot be the refuge of criminals and rights violators, mass murderers and the corrupt alike.” # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
