Will Senator Bato Dela Rosa go into hiding or surrender?
After saying he is ready to join Rodrigo Duterte, something has changed with Senator Bato Dela Rosa on how he will handle the ICC arrest.
From being willing to join Duterte in the ICC to hoping the Senate would shield him from arrest to resorting to hiding? On March 13, Senator Bato Dela Rosa said he was ready to join former President Rodrigo Duterte who is currently detained in The Hague.
To recall, Duterte was arrested and flown to The Hague. He is now under the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and there’s a possibility that Dela Rosa’s fate would be similar, as he is among the top officials involved in the highly controversial war on drugs of Duterte during his time as president, and during that time, Dela Rosa was Duterte’s Philippine National Police (PNP) chief.
In a previous article, after saying he was ready to be arrested, his stance shifted, and he expressed that he would seek Senate protection. Recently, something changed again, and this time, Dela Rosa mulls going into hiding amid the possibility of his arrest. It has become one of his options to go hiding from the arresting officers.
“If we can’t find justice in our own country, why would you surrender, right?” Dela Rosa said as he explained the other course of action he was considering.
“We’ll see. If we find even a glimmer of hope—that the Supreme Court will truly stand by its independence and that the Senate will also take a firm stand—then I will evaluate. As I’ve said, I will cross the bridge when I get there,” he added.
He will, accordingly, “most likely” stay longer in the Senate to avoid arrest. However, despite thinking of ways to avoid the arrest, he would not resist it when the comes.
Meanwhile, Palace Communication Undersecretary Clarissa Castro said the implementation of warrants can’t be “selective,” hence Malacanang will serve if the arrest order from the ICC comes.
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