Senator Ronald "Bato" de la Rosa has come under strong criticism for non-acceptance of the invitation of the House of Representatives into its probe against the bloody anti-drug campaign that he spearheaded during the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro said Sunday that De la Rosa has nothing to fear about the congressional inquiry if he has a clear conscience.

"Senator De la Rosa's refusal to participate only reinforces the suspicion that he has something to hide," Castro said.

Daily Tribune has sought De la Rosa’s comment on the issue but has yet to get a response as of press time.

De la Rosa, a former chief of the Philippine National Police, was the principal architect of Duterte's war on drugs, which killed approximately 7,000 people, mostly urban slum dwellers.

More than two years after the brutal campaign was launched in July 2016, 4,999 were recorded killed in October 2018, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. De la Rosa retired as PNP chief in April of the same year.

The House committee on human rights has been inviting Duterte and De la Rosa to attend its ongoing probe to address issues that have been brought to light concerning the so-called extrajudicial killings.

Both Duterte and De la Rosa, however, contended that they would not participate in any hearing of the panel.

The senator said his decision not to grant the committee's invitation was only in compliance with Senate President Francis Escudero's advice to observe inter-parliamentary courtesy.

Castro did not buy De la Rosa's explanation, saying his refusal merely translates to a "cowardly act" and an attempt to evade accountability.

"Senator De la Rosa should not hide behind inter-parliamentary courtesy as an excuse. The truth is, he is afraid to face the victims of the bloody drug war that he and former President Duterte orchestrated," Castro lamented.

Inter-parliamentary courtesy is a long-standing tradition of Congress where members of both houses accord each other with respect and do not meddle in each other’s affairs.

Castro also accused De la Rosa of having a "double standard" when he himself breached the inter-parliamentary courtesy when he invited Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel to a Senate inquiry into alleged recruitment of insurgency groups in schools.

"As one of the architects of this bloody war on drugs, he himself should face investigation and be held accountable," she asserted.

Last week, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. maintained his position not to allow the International Criminal Court (ICC) to intrude on the country's internal matters, including investigating his predecessor's anti-drug campaign.

The ICC has resumed its probe into Duterte's purported crime against humanity after it was put on hold in November 2021 pursuant to the Philippines' request. 

The country attempted to block the investigation but it was denied by the appeal chamber of the ICC.