Dela Rosa says Duterte warrant valid, but will still evade arrest

Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa —Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa again backpedaled on his previous position challenging the legality of the arrest warrant that the International Criminal Court (ICC) had issued against former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Dela Rosa, the former Philippine National Police chief who enforced Duterte’s bloody crackdown on drugs, conceded on Saturday that the arrest of his former boss on March 11 was legally sound.

“We’re not questioning the validity of the warrant because (Duterte) is already in the custody of the ICC,” Dela Rosa said in a radio interview on dwIZ.

READ: Dela Rosa breaks silence: ‘I am ready to join Duterte’

“Otherwise, Duterte should have been released (from detention) and returned to the country if there’s no warrant of arrest. So there’s no question about the validity of the warrant,” he said.

What’s still questionable

But Dela Rosa said what remained questionable was the decision of the Philippine government to cooperate with the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) in implementing the ICC arrest order.

READ: Dela Rosa explains HK absence: ‘I got info on ICC arrest warrant’

“Why did we cooperate based on Interpol’s diffusion notice? Can the Interpol dictate on us? Are we not a sovereign state?” he asked.

The senator insisted that President Marcos should have just turned down the Interpol’s request for coordination in serving the warrant since the country ceased to be a member of the ICC in 2019 on orders from Duterte.

READ: Rodrigo Duterte arrest petition cites Bato dela Rosa’s drug war role

But Philippine officials, including Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, have maintained that the handover of Duterte was aboveboard as it was at the request of Interpol and not in cooperation with the ICC.

Staying in ‘comfort zone’

Asked if he would honor a similar arrest order that the ICC might issue against him, Dela Rosa echoed Duterte’s tough stance prior to his arrest and flight to The Hague, the Netherlands.

“Why will I face that warrant when we no longer recognize the ICC? That warrant has no jurisdiction over my person,” he said.

“If that warrant was issued by the Supreme Court or the local courts, then I will face it. Why will I honor a warrant coming from a foreign entity whose jurisdiction no longer applies to us?”

Dela Rosa again declared that “I will not allow myself to be arrested”—but that he would not leave the country just to elude capture.

“I will not leave my comfort zone,” he said.

Senate President Francis Escudero earlier said he would allow Dela Rosa to take refuge in the Senate until he had exhausted all legal remedies to prevent his arrest.