Statement of Camp of Sen. Bato dela Rosa on Alleged ICC Arrest Warrant
BATO DELA ROSA – The lawyer of the Senator, Attorney Israelito Torreon, spoke on the alleged issuance of an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Sen. Dela Rosa was one of the senators who urged the Senate to call for the house arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte. The former Chief Executive is currently detained under the custody of the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands.
According to Dela Rosa, he treats Duterte as his second father. He was the first chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) during the Duterte administration. He is also one of the members of the so-called Duterte bloc in the Senate.
However, amid the call of the Duterte camp for the house arrest of the former President, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla claimed that the ICC allegedly issued an arrest warrant against Sen. Bato dela Rosa.
The Ombudsman claimed that the information about the alleged ICC arrest warrant against Sen. Dela Rosa was supposedly relayed by officer-in-charge Secretary of Justice Eric Vida. Recently, the camp of the Senator spoke on the claim.
Atty. Israelito Torreon, the lawyer of Sen. Bato dela Rosa, acknowledged that they know about the reports that the ICC supposedly issued an arrest warrant against the Senator. However, based on a report on GMA News, they have yet to confirm whether or not the information is accurate.
“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,” Torreon said.
Based on the report, Atty. Israelito Torreon said that they will wait for the official confirmation before they will issue further statement on the matter. According to the lawyer of Sen. Bato dela Rosa, if proven true, they hope that the government will uphold the rule of law.
“If proven true, we trust that the Philippine Government will act in accordance with the rule of law, and that any such action shall first pass through the proper local judicial confirmation process consistent with our Constitution, due process, and the sovereign rights of the Republic of the Philippines,” the lawyer said.
Recently, following all 24 senators having released their Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth and the calls for the disclosure of the SALN of the President and the Vice President, Sen. Bato dela Rosa claimed that he will convince Vice Pres. Sara Duterte to release her SALN.