Ex-law dean says ICC warrant vs Bato dela Rosa should go through local court

For lawyer Amado Valdez, a former dean of the University of the East College of Law, the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa must first go through a local court.

“Idaan mo sa court. I-evaluate ng court kung meron bang prima facie for the warrant of arrest o kaya does it violate our sovereignty,” Valdez said on Super Radyo dzBB.

(Take it to the court. Let the court evaluate whether there is prima facie basis for the warrant of arrest or whether it violates our sovereignty.)

“We have to exercise acts of sovereignty para ipakita natin that we are an independent sovereign nation,” he added.

(We have to exercise acts of sovereignty to show that we are an independent sovereign nation.)

Other lawyers, meanwhile, have argued that a local warrant is not necessary.

Dela Rosa is the subject of an arrest warrant for “alleged criminal responsibility as an indirect co-perpetrator” in the crimes against humanity of murder from July 3, 2016, until the end of April 2018, where at least 32 persons died.

Authorities attempted to serve the warrant against him on May 11, leading to a chase inside the Senate building. He was later placed under protective custody by the upper chamber before he left the Senate premises on May 14.

His location is now unknown.

Dela Rosa has filed supplemental motions with the High Court against the implementation of the warrant against him.

For its part, the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) has asked the SC to deny Dela Rosa’s plea. It said that the “fugitive disentitlement should also apply to him.”

In its 83-page G.R. No. 278747, the OSG asked the SC to deny dela Rosa’s Urgent Manifestation with Omnibus Motion and Extremely Urgent Supplemental Manifestation with Motion due to alleged lack of merit.

‘Loose’

Meanwhile, Valdez said he did not want to label Dela Rosa as a fugitive, but added that he is “loose.”

Former Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila president and dean Atty. Jose “Judd” Roy III, meanwhile, said that Dela Rosa is a fugitive.

“Kung hindi pala siya inaaresto, bakit binibigyan ng protective custody. Ngayon ina-aresto na daw, ayaw naman lumitaw, eh di fugitive na talaga ‘yan,” he said.

(If he was not really being arrested, then why was he being given protective custody? Now they say he is already being arrested, yet he still does not want to appear, then he really is a fugitive.)

“‘Yung tanong kasi… at the time na binigyan ng protective custody, alam na nila na inaaresto eh. Bakit nila ginawa ‘yun? Bakit binigyan ng protective custody,” he added.

(The question is… at the time he was given protective custody, they already knew he was being arrested. Why did they do that? Why was he given protective custody?)

Roy said that Dela Rosa should first be arrested before he seeks judicial remedy. — RSJ, GMA News