Bato dela Rosa 'unavailable' due to safety concerns, lawyer says

Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa is avoiding public appearance because “his personal safety is at stake” amid the reported arrest warrant against him from the International Criminal Court (ICC), according to his lawyer Thursday.

Interviewed on GMA Integrated News’ Unang Balita, Dela Rosa’s lawyer Atty. Israelito Torreon was asked about the senator’s status and if he was in hiding, considering his absence at the Senate. 

“Ganito po, ngayon kasi yung kanyang personal safety is at stake. Maka-speculate lamang ako kasi hindi ako makasabi for him even I am his lawyer. He is just making himself unavailable,” Torreon said.

(His personal safety is at stake. I can only speculate because I cannot speak for him even though I am his lawyer. He is just making himself unavailable.)

“Kasi wala pong klaro kung ano po ang polisiya o wala po tayong batas as to how to deal with surrender. Kasi klarong-klaro po yung gobyerno natin is they will up the modality of surrender instead of extradition under Section 17 of Republic Act 9851,” he added.

(Because it is not clear what policy is or we do not have a law as to how to deal with surrender. Because our government is very clear that they will up the modality of surrender instead of extradition under Section 17 of Republic Act 9851.)

Torreon was referring to the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity.

He noted that ICC member states like Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, and Australia have national laws on how to conduct the surrender. According to him, the Philippines had none when it was still a member before withdrawing in 2019.

“Tayo lamang po ang atat na atat na i-surrender yung ating national, ating citizen doon po sa Hague, Netherlands na walang klarong basehan at walang klarong procedure,” he said.

(We are the only ones who are so desperate to surrender our national, our citizen there in The Hague, Netherlands without a clear basis and without a clear procedure.)

“Kawawa naman po yung taong kidnapin lang, hindi idaan sa ating korte, na meron naman tayong working courts, meron tayong healthy prosecution service po dito,” he added.

(The person is just kidnapped, not brought before our court, when we have working courts, we have a healthy prosecution service here.)

TRO

Torreon said he last spoke with Dela Rosa before November 8 but their discussion was about the protests and not the ICC.

According to Torreon, Dela Rosa is probably still in the Philippines.

Meanwhile, Torreon expressed optimism that the Supreme Court will grant Dela Rosa’s request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the reported ICC arrest warrant once the document is officially issued.

“Kung lalabas talaga yung arrest warrant, there is compelling necessity now. We will present that to the Supreme Court. Meron nang clear and urgent necessity on the Supreme Court to probably act on our TRO,” he said.

(If the arrest warrant is actually issued, there is compelling necessity now. We will present that to the Supreme Court. There is a clear and urgent necessity on the Supreme Court to probably act on our TRO.)

“Pero hindi po namin pangungunahan. Ginagalang po namin ang Supreme Court. Kung mangyayari iyon, baka mataas na mataas na ang posibilidad na mapagbigyan po kami ng Supreme Court,” he added.

(But we will not preempt. We respect the Supreme Court. If that happens, the possibility that the Supreme Court will grant us a TRO is very high.)

Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV previously noted that Dela Rosa and four other high-ranking ex-police officials have been tagged as suspects amid the ICC probe into former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs for a crimes against humanity case. Trillanes is one of the personalities who filed a case against Duterte before the ICC.

Dela Rosa served as the chief of the PNP during the implementation of the drug war under the Duterte administration. —Joviland Rita/ VAL, GMA Integrated News