The current location of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa remains unknown, even as calls for his arrest linked to his role in the previous administration’s “war on drugs” campaign continue to circulate.
Lawyer Israelito Torreon, dela Rosa’s legal counsel, said the senator cannot be arrested by the International Criminal Court (ICC) at this time due to the lack of legal procedures in the Philippines to enforce the tribunal’s surrender request.
“Kahit pinahihintulutan sa Rome Statute ang surrender, kailangan pa rin itong dumaan sa sariling judicial process ng bawat bansa na hindi pa nagagawa sa Pilipinas,” Torreon explained in a television interview.
Torreon has asked Ombudsman Boying Remulla for a copy of the alleged ICC arrest warrant, intending to present it to the Supreme Court for proper action.
“Parang totoo na itong arrest warrant ata kasi marami ng nagsasabi sa akin, although, hindi ko pa talaga ma-confirm. At saka gusto ko lang sanang makiusap na instead na i-blame natin si Sen. Bato, alam nyo ba under Article 88 of the Rome Statute , ang argument nga sana namin hindi na tayo parte diyan at hindi na yan effective dito sa Pilipinas,” he said.
Philippine National Police (PNP) acting chief LtGen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. confirmed that the police have no information on dela Rosa’s current whereabouts but clarified that there is no legal basis for an arrest.
“As of now, we don’t know about his whereabouts. Wala naman siyang warrant of arrest or basis for the arrest,” Nartatez said.
Torreon stressed that the Philippines’ legal framework under Article 88 of the Rome Statute must first be observed before any surrender could be enforced.
“Under Article 88, the argument namin, sana hindi na effective dito sa Pilipinas, pero granting na parte pa tayo, dapat may procedure under our law,” he said.
