Bato: I dreamt of Duterte’s house arrest

Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa on Monday shared that he dreamt that ex-president Rodrigo Duterte was granted house arrest, something which he has been pushing along with other allies of the incarcerated leader.

“Last night I had a dream: Mayor Rody was granted house arrest. We had a tearful reunion. We hugged each other & he whispered to me; “Ronald, I’m okey now.”…..Lord, pls make my dream come true,” the senator said in a Facebook post. 

Dela Rosa, along with fellow senators Robin Padilla and Bong Go, have earlier filed   a resolution urging the Philippine government to push for Duterte’s interim release in the form of house arrest at a residence in The Hague, Netherlands. 

The senators noted in their resolution that the 80-year old Duterte’s health is “in danger of deteriorating further,” considering his old age, various medical conditions, and social isolation from loved ones.  

“[E]ven if the Philippines has already withdrawn from the Rome Statute, the Philippines is not precluded from advocating, in good conscience of the State, for more humane conditions for FPRRD, while he bravely faces the allegations against him,” the resolution read. 

After his arrest in Metro Manila last March, Duterte is currently detained at Hague Penitentiary Institution or the Scheveningen Prison on charges of crimes against humanity in relation to his administration’s deadly drug war, which resulted in the deaths of over 6,000 drug suspects in police operations per government records. Human rights organizations, however, estimate the death toll may have reached 30,000 due to unreported incidents.

Dela Rosa, who was the Philippine National Police chief in the early years of the Duterte administration, was also the chief implementor of the drug war. 

Vice President Sara Duterte earlier said that her father is already “skin and bones” after losing a lot of weight since his detention in The Hague. — Vince Angelo Ferreras/RF, GMA Integrated News