📷: Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa | FB
By Diego Morra
Lawyer Kristina Conti, assistant to counsel at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has confirmed that the ICC has not publicly released any warrant of arrest against Senator Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa. Nonetheless, Conti argued, evidence presented by victims and prosecutors point to de la Rosa as a potential co-perpetrator of crimes against humanity during the Duterte administration.
Conti stressed that the Marcos Jr. administration would be obliged to enforce any warrant issued by the ICC. The international tribunal’s investigation into the accountability of the cohorts of detained ex-president Rodrigo Duterte in crimes against humanity is ongoing, she added. She disclosed that updates are expected once pending issues, like the decision on Duterte’s fitness for trial, are resolved.
Early on Nov. 8, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla claimed that the ICC has already issued a warrant of arrest against Senator Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa days after former senator Antonio Trillanes IV said the warrant will be issued soon. “I have it in good authority kasi public interest ito. The ICC has issued a warrant against Senator Bato de la Rosa,” Remulla said in a radio interview. Asked who his source was, the Ombudsman pointed to officer-in-charge (OIC) Secretary of Justice Eric Vida.
“As of this hour, we are currently working to verify this information. We have also not yet seen or received a copy of said arrest warrant,” DOJ spokespeson Atty. Raphael Niccolo “Polo” Martinez said, “We shall provide further details as soon as it becomes available,” he added. Conti, ICC assistant to counsel, on Saturday said “as before, we cannot confirm something that the Court has not publicly shared.”
Based on the evidence, the mountain of testimonies and the revelation of Rodrigo Duterte that de la Rosa, along with other Philippine National Police (PNP) chiefs, were all assigned to implement his orders against suspected pushers, users and protectors during his “anti-drug war” from 2016 to 2022. The elder Duterte said so during a congressional hearing, dumbfounding de la Rosa and other ex-PNP chiefs who denied any role in the murderous six-year spree.
De la Rosa made himself scarce after he was linked to the deaths of 20,000 people during police operations under “Oplan Tokhang” and “Oplan Double Barrel Reloaded.” The PNP claimed the total number of people killed in police anti-drug operations exceeded 6,200, not counting the victims of lawmen and police informers moonlighting as hitmen. Former Duterte operators claimed the reward money for hits ranged from P5.000 to P20,000 belying the claim of Sen. Christopher L. Tesoro Go (CLTG) that there were no such payoffs. De la Rosa rejected this, saying Duterte had ordered him to pay policemen and others involved in the “anti-drug war.” The ICC Prosecutor has charged the former president with 49 counts of murder and attempted murder during his time as mayor of Davao City and as president.
In his previous statements, de la Rosa said he would “disappear” before lawmen implement the ICC arrest warrant, only to retreat and claim that he is ready to join his former boss at the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague. De la Rosa’s counsel Atty. Israelito Torreon, said “we have been made aware of circulating reports claiming that the ICC has issued an arrest warrant against Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ de la Rosa.” He added: “At this point, we do not have independent confirmation as to whether or not this information is accurate. We therefore urge the public and the media to exercise caution and restraint in sharing or interpreting such reports until verified information is officially released by competent authorities or by the ICC itself.”
“The last public information shared by the court in the Duterte case is that the defense has transmitted its second tranche of evidence, meaning, all parties are still preparing for the resumption of the confirmation of charges hearing. We’ll know more as soon as the pending issue of Duterte’s fitness is decided, possibly within this month,” Conti said. However, investigation into the situation in the Philippines to determine who are most responsible for atrocity crimes, is ongoing, she noted. It means the aging Duterte may have some cellmates soon aside from de la Rosa. Misery loves company.
