Statement of Malacañang on Possible Arrest Warrant vs. Alleged Co-Perpetrators of Duterte
Malacañang spoke on possible arrest warrant against Senator Bato dela Rosa and other alleged co-perpetrators of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Former Pres. Duterte remains detained under the custody of the International Criminal Court for more than 100 days now. He was arrested by the Philippine authorities who assisted the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol).
Amid his detention, Duterte’s defense team recently requested the ICC for an “urgent status conference”. His confirmation of charges is set on September 23. Malacañang previously defended Pres. Bongbong Marcos from betrayal accusations over the former President’s arrest.
According to Palace press undersecretary Claire Castro, the government only did its job. Marcos Jr. and the Palace also stressed that the government acted on the arrest in lieu of its commitment with the Interpol.
Recently, Marcos’ Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin claimed that Sen. Bato dela Rosa may face a similar fate with former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte in case the ICC issues an arrest warrant against him. According to Bersamin, if there is a notice from the Interpol, the government would really have to arrest him unless the Supreme Court issued an order for a due process.
Following Bersamin’s interview with Kyodo News, Malacañang released a statement on the possible arrest warrant against Sen. Bato dela Rosa and other alleged co-perpetrators of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte. Based on a report on GMA News, Palace press undersecretary Claire Castro said they have not received any communication about the existence of an arrest warrant.
“Sa ngayon, wala pa po tayong natatanggap na anumang communication kung mayroon na pong warrant of arrest para sa mga co-perpetrators ni dating Pangulong Duterte,” the Malacañang official said.
Based on the report, there were 9 alleged co-perpetrators of former Pres. Duterte. Only a few were named because of their roles in the drug war of the former administration.
Previously, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte claimed that her name is on the alleged ICC list of personalities who might be arrested for investigation about the drug war. However, according to the Vice President, there are allegedly several names ahead of hers in the list like the name of Sen. Bato dela Rosa.
Sen. Bato dela Rosa previously signed the resolution of Sen. Robin Padilla calling for the return of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte. Another known Duterte-ally, Sen. Bong Go, also did the same. The Duterte-ally senators also recently filed a resolution calling for Duterte’s house arrest.