Bato told: Don't evade arrest amid reports of ICC warrant

Opposition lawmakers on Saturday warned Senator Ronald de la Rosa to refrain from evading arrest in case a warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) is served against him for his role in former president Rodrigo Duterte’s notorious bloody war on drugs. 

The caution comes in the heels of reports that the ICC warrant is already out for the lawmaker — the chief enforcer of Duterte’s brutal anti-narcotics campaign that saw thousands killed, mostly small-time drug dealers — according to Ombudsman Boying Remulla. 

Akbayan Rep. Perci Cendaña asserted that it’s high time that De la Rosa “face the charges against him” and “stand by his previous statement that he would confront them head on.”

In September, De la Rosa assertively stated that he’s “ready” for a possible arrest from the ICC, a retreat from his earlier assertions that he may go into hiding in the Senate to evade arrest by the tribunal, which he long argued has no business meddling in the Philippines. 

Malacañang and the Department of Justice both claimed they have yet to receive a copy of the arrest warrant, but Remulla reportedly said the information came from officer-in-charge Secretary Eric Vida.

Nonetheless, Makabayan lawmakers contended that the warrant must be swiftly enforced, and every attempt to shield De la Rosa and others responsible for the alleged extrajudicial killings must be rigorously opposed. 

“The brains and the enforcers of the bloody drug war should not go unpunished…Bato De la Rosa and all those involved must be held accountable,” ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio argued. 

Kabataan Rep. Renee Co, meanwhile, warned the Senate and the Supreme Court not to interfere with the alleged looming execution of the warrant. 

“There should be no compromise or special treatment from the Marcos administration for the Duterte camp,” she stressed. 

Aside from De la Rosa, the ICC may also order the arrest of Senator Bong Go, a staunch ally of the former president, early next year, according to former senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

ICC warrants are usually confidential. In Duterte’s case, the ICC issued the warrant on 7 March, but it was only made public after the erstwhile leader had been taken into custody and flown to The Hague on 11 March. 

Duterte's co-perpetrators

The application for Duterte’s warrant was heavily redacted, but it has been speculated that Duterte’s former police chiefs, De la Rosa and retired police general Oscar Albayalde, may be next on the list. 

A review of the prosecution’s application for Duterte’s warrant revealed that nine individuals were tagged as his co-perpetrators, though their identities remain confidential. 

Dela Rosa was the PNP chief from 2016 to mid-2018 before he was succeeded by Albayalde, who allegedly continued overseeing the summary killings. 

Their network, as alleged in the application, comprised law enforcement groups, including members of the PNP, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the National Bureau of Investigation. It also includes non-police assets and hitmen.

ICC-accredited lawyer Joel Butuyan, one of the counsels representing drug war victims, had projected that, similar to the abrupt arrest of Duterte in March, a potential ICC warrant against his co-perpetrators may just come out without prior notice.

ICC prosecutors identified De la Rosa as the architect of “Oplan Tokhang,” which was allegedly carried out as early as 2012, following his promotion to Davao City police chief under then-Davao City mayor Sara Duterte.

De la Rosa’s predecessor, Vicente Danao, was also named in the prosecutors’ warrant application as well as the Davao Death Squad—a notorious group formerly comprised of non-police hitmen and Davao-based police, including De la Rosa, as former president Duterte previously claimed. 

ICC prosecutors defined DDS as a group established by Duterte during his stint as Davao mayor, and is responsible for killing suspected drug suspects and criminals in the province. This scheme was later expanded nationwide when Duterte won the presidency in 2016. 

The 80-year-old Duterte is facing three counts of murder for crimes against humanity and is awaiting trial. The confirmation of charges, initially scheduled for 23 September, was postponed indefinitely following a petition by the defense, citing the ex-president’s advanced age and frail condition.