Bato Dela Rosa's wife urges courts to block senator's transfer to The Hague

The wife of Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa has appealed to the judiciary not to allow her husband to be brought to The Hague following the issuance of an arrest warrant against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

In a Facebook post, Grace Nancy Dela Rosa urged authorities to instead have the senator tried in a Philippine court, arguing that voluntarily surrendering a Filipino to an international tribunal would amount to an admission that the country’s judicial system is “weak and incapable.”

“We do not have the luxury of time to wait for your technical arguments and debates. Every moment you remain undecided is an opportunity for them to close in on Bato,” she said.

“You are a group of great minds. This is just another case sensationalized only by politics. Please do not waver or give in. Please,” Grace Nancy added.

Dela Rosa, a former Philippine National Police chief and former Davao City police chief under former President Rodrigo Duterte, is wanted by the ICC after prosecutors identified him as among Duterte’s alleged co-perpetrators in a purported “common plan” involving killings linked to the administration’s anti-drug campaign.

The senator resurfaced on May 11 to take part in a Senate vote on a leadership change before once again withdrawing from public view. He had been absent from the chamber for six months amid reports of an ICC arrest warrant.

Grace Nancy also argued that her husband’s situation should not be compared to that of Duterte, who is currently facing proceedings before the ICC.

“During PRRD’s time, he went to great lengths to bring every Filipino home, even the convicted ones. During these times, they are going to great lengths to surrender another group of Filipinos,” she said.

“Please do not give up your responsibility for our countrymen. Please fight for our sovereign rights. Your decision will be remembered in history. Please make it count,” she added.

Last week, the Supreme Court denied Dela Rosa’s request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) and/or status quo ante order (SQAO) to stop his possible arrest under the ICC warrant.

Following the ruling, the Department of Justice directed law enforcement agencies to implement the arrest warrant against the senator.—MCG, GMA News