Senator Ronald Dela Rosa called on his colleagues to help keep him out of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) globe-spanning reach even as some lawmakers say that it is about time his past catches up on the former top cop.
On Sunday, Dela Rosa expressed apprehensions that the Executive Branch will soften on its current stand of non-membership to the ICC, which is reportedly set to issue a warrant of arrest against him, former President Rodrigo Duterte, and others tagged in the previous administration’s bloody drug war.
The international tribunal wants to put them on trial for stand accused of crimes against humanity arising from the alleged summary execution of thousands of small-time drug pushers and users.
Talks about Dela Rosa and Duterte being arrested surfaced after retired Supreme Court Chief Justice Antonio Carpio hinted the ICC prosecutor’s probe on the Duterte administration’s bloody drug war has “reached a pivotal point” and arrest warrants would be released “sometime in September.”
If Malacanang ultimately turns its back on them, Dela Rosa expressed hope that fellow senators would adopt a firm stand that would “reflect the true identity of the Senate” as the country’s last bastion of democracy.
He said the Senate, under the leadership of Senate President Francis Escudero, will maintain its independent stance should “worse come to worst.”
The embattled lawmaker was referring to a scenario wherein Malacañang would allow the ICC investigators to come to the Philippines and serve arrest warrants against him and other suspects in the drug war.
Dela Rosa was the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) during the drug war that led to extrajudicial killings of those tagged in illicit drug operations.
“I’m just hoping… just in case, the ICC releases a warrant of arrest, he (Escudero) should be able to show true leadership in the Senate,” said Dela Rosa who claimed he remains unperturbed by the latest developments.
“The Senate should stand as a separate and independent entity. The Senate should maintain its role of being a co-equal branch of government,” he said.
Despite saying that the creeping threat to his freedom is not causing him anxieties, Dela Rosa maintained that he is still holding on toPresident Marcos’s promise not to recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC in the Philippines.Asked for his legal recourse in case of an arrest warrant, Dela Rosa related he would file for clarificatory relief before the Supreme Court.
At the Lower House, Antipolo City Rep. Romeo Acop on Sunday fired back at Dela Rosa, calling him the “real opportunist” and a “lapdog” of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
He reacted to Dela Rosa’s sweeping accusations that House of Representatives members are “unprincipled” and “opportunistic” for criticizing the Duterte administration’s brutal war on drugs.
Acop took strong exception to such claims, noting that his rise to the leadership of the Philippine National Police was due to his close ties with Duterte, “which he later leveraged to secure a Senate seat.”
“If anyone is the real opportunist, it’s Senator Dela Rosa, who shamelessly used his ties with the former president to rise from PNP chief to senator, leading a bloody drug war that targeted the powerless while shielding the powerful,” he said.
Acop is also a retired police general.
Dela Rosa has “always been Duterte’s loyal lapdog, focused on his own career rather than justice,” he cited.
“Don’t act like a K9 of the previous administration. Prioritize the country’s interests and the general welfare of the people,” he told the senator.
“I ran and won as a congressman on my own merit, not by clinging to anyone’s coattails. My job is to uncover the truth and ensure accountability, no matter who is implicated” he said.
During its first hearing the Quad-Comm, of which Acop is vice chairman, panel mambers heard the testimony from former Customs intelligence officer Jimmy Guban, who implicated the former president’s son Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte and his former economic adviser Michael Yang in the smuggling of P11 billion worth of shabu hidden in magnetic lifters at the Manila International Container Port in 2018.
Acop slammed Dela Rosa for failing to expose the critical details during the Senate’s drug investigations.
“Senator Dela Rosa’s so-called investigations were a farce. Despite his position, he conveniently ignored the involvement of individuals close to the former president. Who was he protecting?” he asked.
“(His) loyalty lies not with the truth, but with protecting his own interests and those of his political benefactors. We are simply doing our duty. There’s no need to fear the Quad-Committee unless there’s something to hide. It’s becoming too obvious that Senator Dela Rosa is scared,” he said.
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