Reportedly, Bato dela Rosa has an ICC warrant of arrest
Senate President Tito Sotto released a statement regarding the rumored warrant of arrest issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Senator Bato dela Rosa.
Dela Rosa served as the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who was known for his controversial war on drugs.
With Duterte’s program to eradicate the drug issue in the country, he was accused of extrajudicial killings. Allegedly, committing crimes against humanity, he was arrested and detained by the ICC.
Bato dela Rosa is a known ally of the former President. Their bond can be traced back to when Duterte was still the mayor of Davao City. As the former President’s PNP chief, Dela Rosa was automatically entangled in this issue.
A recent report surfaced that ICC has released an arrest warrant against the Senator, as claimed by Ombudsman Boying Remulla. According to Remulla, the ICC arrest warrant was relayed by the officer-in-charge, Secretary of Justice Eric Vida.
However, dela Rosa’s lawyer, Atty. Israelito Torreon said that even though they knew about the alleged arrest warrant, they did not have an independent confirmation of whether the information was accurate.
Regarding this matter, SP Tito Sotto also released a statement, based on the report from Abante News. The Senate President stressed that it is not allowed for an arrest would happen in the Senate building.
Sotto emphasized that this is to preserve the dignity of the Upper Chamber. “I am not private to the warrant being issued. But as I have said in the past and in consultation with some members of the Senate, to preserve the dignity of the Senate, and as a matter of institutional courtesy, we cannot allow any senator to be arrested in the Senate premises,” the Senate chief stressed.
However, he mentioned that if an arrest were to happen to whoever member of the Senate, the Upper Chamber no longer has the power over this. “Outside the Senate premises, that’s no longer our concern,” Tito Sotto said.