On Saturday morning, November 8, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said in a DZRH interview that the International Criminal Court (ICC) had already issued a warrant of arrest against Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa. But the Supreme Court’s new ruling on extradition may hinder dela Rosa’s swift surrender to the ICC.
The Department of Justice said on Saturday that it is working to confirm Remulla’s claim, but as of this writing, the ICC has not yet confirmed that an arrest warrant has been issued against dela Rosa.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin told reporters on Saturday that the ICC has yet to transmit an order to the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol). He also said that dela Rosa would not go through the same quick process that former President Rodrigo Duterte did when he was arrested and surrendered to the ICC in March.
Bersamin cited new extradition rules approved by the Supreme Court (SC) on October 27. The SC’s ruling requires a local Extradition Court to hold judicial proceedings to hear and decide whether an individual wanted in another state should be extradited. The ruling went into effect on Monday, November 10.
Drug war victims’ lawyer Attorney Kristina Conti, who also serves as an assistant to counsel at the ICC, warned in a DZBB interview that the extradition proceedings may stall investigations. “May hadlang kung baga sa mabilis na proseso dahil magkakaroon ka ng petition for extradition, i-pru-prove mo ‘yong batas, i-pru-prove mo ‘yong kaso,” she said.
Conti also emphasized that the extradition rules do not apply in dela Rosa’s case. “Ang nakalagay sa extradition [proceedings], requesting state. May bansang nag-re-request. Dito wala, because it’s an international court,” she said.
Ready to Be Arrested
Dela Rosa has advocated for Duterte’s interim release from the ICC’s detention facility in The Hague, Netherlands, where he awaits trial for crimes against humanity related to his administration’s war on drugs. The senator served as chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) during the Duterte presidency, during which he oversaw anti-drug operations that killed an estimated 30,000 individuals.
In September, the ICC published redacted versions of drug war case documents that also named dela Rosa. Responding to his involvement in the case, the lawmaker told reporters that he was ready to be arrested.
While Dela Rosa has not spoken on recent news of the arrest warrant, his legal counsel, Atty. Israelito Torreon said in a statement, “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.”
Meanwhile, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III told reporters that while he was not aware of the supposed arrest warrant issued against dela Rosa, “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. Outside the Senate premises, that’s no longer our concern.”
