Ronald dela Rosa’s lawyer, Jimmy Bondoc, doubled down on denying knowledge of his client’s whereabouts amid pressure from the Department of Justice to help locate the “fugitive” senator following an International Criminal Court warrant.
This came after Justice Secretary Frederick Vida announced Tuesday that a letter would be issued to Bondoc compelling him to disclose any information that could lead authorities to Dela Rosa’s location, warning that lawyer-client privilege “does not excuse him” from cooperating with authorities.
Bondoc, in response, assured Vida of their continued cooperation but insisted they had no knowledge of Dela Rosa’s whereabouts.
He added that they have “no desire” to know the senator’s location “so that we may perform our legal duties with a less politicized perspective and with a more academic and relatively secluded legal approach.”
“I earnestly and candidly assure all the relevant agencies and the Filipino people that our legal team, Atty. [Israelito] Torreon and myself included, do not possess any information as to the whereabouts [or] the well-being of our good client,” Bondoc said.
Vida warned that concealing offenders, misleading authorities, and delaying legal processes may constitute obstruction of justice, punishable by imprisonment and disqualification from holding public office for government officials.
Bondoc, however, argued that “there is absolutely no evidence” showing Dela Rosa is “armed and dangerous” to justify intensified search operations.
“This is not supported by any credible evidence, nor by my personal knowledge of the senator's good character. Regardless of media portrayal, he was and will always be an officer and a gentleman,” he said.
Dela Rosa reportedly “escaped” from the Senate, where he had sought refuge for three days beginning 11 May, following an alleged second attempt by National Bureau of Investigation operatives to arrest him on an ICC warrant. The incident allegedly triggered gunfire inside the Senate compound on 13 May.
The senator is wanted by the ICC for crimes against humanity over alleged extrajudicial killings committed between November 2011 and March 2019, covering the period when former president Rodrigo Duterte served as Davao City mayor and later as president.
ICC records showed Dela Rosa was identified as an “indirect co-perpetrator” in the drug war killings, having served as Davao police chief and later as chief of the Philippine National Police under Duterte.
Authorities have launched a nationwide manhunt for Dela Rosa, who remains in the Philippines, according to Vida.