AFP: Senate Marine deployment not linked to ICC warrant vs. Bato

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday downplayed concerns over the deployment of Marine contingents at the Senate, saying the arrangement has long been in place and is unrelated to the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s arrest warrant against Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.

In a press briefing, AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla said military personnel are regularly assigned to key government installations and public sites.

“To confirm, we really have deployments to different areas, different institutions. Over and above the Senate, we also have deployments in Malacañang Palace and, if you notice, even at the Rizal Monument,” she said.

Padilla emphasized that the Marines assigned to these areas are tasked only with perimeter security and do not enter the institutions themselves.

“The role of our Marines there is for perimeter security, so they do not enter the Senate, and similarly inside Malacañang Palace,” she said.

According to Padilla, the deployment has existed for years and predates the current developments involving Dela Rosa.

“This has been there even before I entered the service. It is not connected to the recent incident,” she said.

The clarification came after questions were raised regarding the presence of Marine contingents at the Senate amid calls from Dela Rosa’s supporters to gather at the Senate complex for prayer vigils.

Padilla said the AFP remains focused on its constitutional mandate and does not engage in partisan political activities.

“For peace and order, that is primarily the mandate of the Philippine National Police. On the side of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, we remain committed to our constitutional mandate of protecting the Filipino people and securing the state,” she said.

“We do not participate in any partisan and political activities, and we respect the functions and processes of all democratic institutions,” she added.

Dela Rosa was placed under the Senate’s protective custody after returning to the Senate on Monday following more than six months of absence amid reports of an impending ICC arrest warrant.

The ICC on Monday confirmed that the tribunal had issued an arrest warrant against Dela Rosa, former President Rodrigo Duterte’s first chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), in connection with killings linked to the war on drugs.

Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV earlier said a copy of the warrant had been transmitted to the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime (PCTC). — MCG, GMA News