The Philippines has vowed to prevent Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa, the chief enforcer of former president Rodrigo Duterte's deadly drug war, from leaving the country to escape an International Criminal Court arrest warrant. Dela Rosa, who is wanted by the ICC for crimes against humanity, narrowly avoided arrest on Monday by taking refuge in the Senate building. However, he left unannounced on Thursday for an unknown location.
Justice Secretary Warns of Consequences
Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida confirmed that Manila has received the ICC arrest warrant for Dela Rosa, but is waiting for the Philippine Supreme Court to rule on the senator's petition challenging its legality. "The Department of Justice will treat any attempt of Senator Bato Dela Rosa to leave the country as a mockery of justice," Vida told a news conference. He instructed law enforcers and border officials that if Dela Rosa tries to leave, they should make the appropriate arrest.
Background of the Case
The ICC unsealed an arrest warrant against Dela Rosa on Monday, accusing him, along with Duterte and other co-perpetrators, of the crime against humanity of murder. Dela Rosa served as national police chief from 2016 to 2018 during the early phase of Duterte's anti-drug campaign, which left thousands dead, many of them drug users and low-level peddlers, according to human rights monitors. He was elected to two successive six-year terms in the Senate in 2019 after retiring from the force.
Political Refuge and Legal Challenge
Senate president Alan Peter Cayetano prevented government agents from arresting his political ally Dela Rosa on Monday, granting him refuge in the building. Dela Rosa has asked the Supreme Court to stop the government from enforcing the ICC arrest warrant and expressed a preference to stand trial in a Philippine court if charged. His former boss Duterte was arrested in March last year, flown to the Netherlands, and is now detained in The Hague awaiting trial.
