Dela Rosa upset at Hontiveros urging gov’t to cooperate with ICC probe

Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa on Tuesday said the separation of powers between the executive branch and legislative branch will prevail over the push for the country to cooperate with the International Criminal Court's plan to investigate the previous administration's war on drugs campaign. 

Dela Rosa made the remarks after opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros filed a resolution urging the government to cooperate with the ICC probe into human rights violations by former president Rodrigo Duterte's drug war initiatives. 

While he already expected that Hontiveros would still push such action,   Dela Rosa expressed being upset. 

"I expected that from her na magpa-file siya ng ganun dahil kung meron tayong Makabayan Bloc sa lower house, meron tayong Senator Risa Hontiveros sa Senado so expected ko na 'yan sa kanya. Masama talaga ang loob ko. Of all the people, siya talaga." he told reporters in a press briefing.

Dela Rosa admitted that he takes it very personally since he was one of the subjects of the ICC investigation. 

"Expected ko na, knowing her. Well Kahit na expected ko na, masama pa rin ang loob ko," he said.

Dela Rosa, who was the Philippine National Police chief during the implementation of Duterte admin's drug war initiative, said he would not campaign on the disapproval of Hontiveros resolution in the upper chamber. 

"I will not campaign. Alam ko naman ang stand ng mga kasamahan ko tungkol d'yan. I don't think it would gain traction here in the Senate, that resolution. And even at the committee level," Dela Rosa said, citing that there are still two pending resolutions filed in the Senate—questioning the ICC's insistent to investigate the country's fight against illegal drugs.

Dela Rosa should Hontiveros's resolution would gain traction at the committee level, then the two pending resolutions against ICC should also be tackled.

He was pertaining to Senator Robin Padilla's  Senate Resolution 488, seeking "to declare unequivocal defense of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, the 16th President of the Republic of the Philippines, in any investigation or prosecution by the ICC" and Senator Jinggoy Estrada's Senate Resolution 492, expressing strong opposition to the ICC's resumption of investigation into alleged crimes against humanity in the country related to Duterte administration's war on drugs campaign. 

On the contrary, Hontiveros' Senate Resolution 867 cited Article 172(2) of the Rome Statute, which provides that "withdrawal shall not affect any cooperation with the Court in connection with criminal investigations and proceedings in relation to which the withdrawing State had a duty to cooperate and which were commenced prior to the date on which the withdrawal became effective, nor shall it prejudice in any way the continued consideration of any matter which was already under consideration by the Court prior."

Dela Rosa believes that the Senate won't give priority to Hontiveros' resolution.

"Bakit naman bibigyan ng priority 'yung sa kanya eh yung dalawang naunang resolutions nga hindi nabigyan ng priority. We will see what will happen next," he said.  

Meanwhile, Dela Rosa believes that the House of Representatives won't be able to pressure President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as he has his own decision over the issue on ICC.

"Masama ang loob ko. 'Yun lang. But I don't need to talk to her… Hindi ako plastic na tao. Ayokong makipagplastikan, when I say masama ang loob ko, sasabihin ko talaga—masama ang loob ko sayo," Dela Rosa said when asked if he would talk to Hontiveros about her resolution.

Dela Rosa said he is yet to talk to the former president and Vice President Sara Duterte regarding the developments on the matter.

If given a chance, Dela Rosa said he would also thank President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for his "strong stance and being consistent" in his decision not to allow ICC to interfere in the Philippine jurisdiction. 

"I will just thank him. I don't need to get reassurance from him. I will just thank him for his consistent statements that ICC could not enter here," he said.

Earlier this week, Marcos said the Philippines' return to the ICC is "under study."

"There is also a question, should we return under the fold of the ICC? So that's again under study. So we'll just keep looking at it and see what our options are," Marcos said.

But for Dela Rosa, Marcos is just being gentlemanly about rejoining the ICC.

Dela Rosa said he is holding onto the President's previous statement that ICC has no jurisdiction over the Philippines.

"He was very consistent that the ICC should not be allowed to enter here and I am holding onto that," he said.

Further, Dela Rosa said he is not keen on talking with Hontiveros regarding her resolution.