Bato won’t evade arrest or seek asylum

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa maintained he will not seek asylum in other countries to evade possible arrest on orders of the International Criminal Court (ICC) over former president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war, saying he will live and die in the Philippines.

Dela Rosa said he would seek the support of the people if the government would allow the ICC to arrest him in connection with the drug war case against him.

“Why should I seek asylum? I live here in the Philippines. I will die here. If our government won’t defend me even if I served the police force for a long time…I will go to the people,” dela Rosa said in an interview over dwIZ.

If given a chance to speak to President Marcos, Dela Rosa said he would appeal to him to protect Philippine sovereignty and not surrender the country’s jurisdiction to other entities amid reports that the ICC has advanced its probe on the drug war case.

Dela Rosa clarified that he would make the appeal not for his benefit but for the others who were being considered as suspects in the case despite sacrificing their lives to address the problem of illegal drugs.

“Think about the people who have served the country for a long time and sacrificed their lives, just to betray these same people for a foreign entity because of politics… Don’t betray your own people; they deserve equal protection of the law,” the former top cop said.

Bato said on Friday he is not bothered about being one of the “suspects” in the drug war case against Duterte and is willing to be interviewed by the ICC, but emphasized that he would not recognize its jurisdiction in the country.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III said Bato can stay inside the Senate complex, but clarified that the Senate has no obligation to protect him from arrest.

Meanwhile, a top official of the Department of Justice has issued a stern warning against the ICC if they conduct coercive actions in their drug war probe.

Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez emphasized that the ICC officials are free to visit the country, but they should not implement any warrants of arrest against the tagged suspects of Duterte’s drug war as the department considers this action as a “serious affront to the country’s sovereignty and independence.”

“Once they do that, they would have to face the consequences of being dealt with by the law enforcement agencies,” he said at a news forum.

Vasquez said the possible entry of the Interpol into the picture is still a long way off as the ICC is still in the investigation phase.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla earlier said the government cannot stop the Interpol from serving arrest warrants that the ICC may issue against Duterte and several other personalities in connection with the drug war. — Emmanuel Tupas