Bato urges interim release of Duterte

Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa appealed on Wednesday to his fellow senators to take up a resolution urging the Philippine government to advocate before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the interim release of former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

In his privilege speech, Dela Rosa urged the August body for the proposed Senate Resolution No. 18 to be finally included in their agenda.

"I am asking this, not just as a Senator, but as a Filipino; a Filipino who believes that one of the best, most patriotic among us who ever lived does not deserve to spend his remaining years in a foreign prison that does not even speak his language, much less feel like home,” he said.

“If we want to show concern for our former President Duterte. If we really want to make sure he's always in good condition. What I see as one of the solutions is for this hall to support his interim release,” he added.

The ICC has charged Duterte with three counts for his alleged role in forming a death squad that led to the brutal killing of individuals suspected of using or selling drugs and being members of drug syndicates.

In a 15-page redacted version of the Document Containing the Charges originally submitted to the Pre-Trial 1 on 4 July but made public on Monday, 22 Sept.

Based on the document, the prosecution held the former president criminally liable for murder as a crime against humanity in Davao City between 2013 and 2016, while he was the mayor, citing nine incidents which resulted in 19 victims; murder as a crime against humanity of "high-value targets" in locations across the Philippines during his term as president, between 2016 and 2017, citing five incidents which resulted in 14 victims; and murder and attempted murder as crimes against humanity in barangay clearance operations in different areas nationwide during his term as President between 2016 and 2018, citing 35 incidents which resulted in 45 victims (43 of whom were killed).