MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Friday, August 30, said that the House of Representatives’ mega-panel probe may be used in the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation into alleged human rights violations in the country during the time of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
Despite not being asked about the ICC, Dela Resa told reporters that there is a likely connection.
Dela Rosa said he held no grudges against the chairpersons leading the four-panel strong inquiry into Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), extrajudicial killings and the illegal drug trade. The former police chief said they were merely doing their jobs.
However, he was suspicious of the person who was allegedly behind these hearings, none other than House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
“Yung mga committee chairman, wala akong pagdududa, pero kung sinong nasa likod nitong mga committee na ito, ay yung Speaker of the House, ‘di ba? Alam ko, is the same person na nagkumbinsi sa mga opisyal na gustong bumaliktad, mag-execute ng affidavit laban sa amin ni President [Rodrido] Duterte para sa ICC, so I am expecting na itong ginagawa ng quadcomm na imbestigasyon ay pwede na itong gamitin laban sa amin doon sa ICC,” Dela Rosa said in a phone interview.
(The committee chairman, I have no doubt about them, but who is behind these committees, it is the Speaker of the House, right? I know, it is the same person that convinced officials who want to switch up, to execute an affidavit against me and President Rodrigo Duterte for the ICC, so I am expecting that this quadcomm may be used against us in the ICC.)
Philstar.com has reached out to Romualdez for a comment but his office has yet to comment as of writing.
Dela Rosa is one of the persons of interest in the ICC probe. As former chief of the Philippine National Police, Dela Rosa was instrumental in Duterte’s crackdown on illegal drugs during his term.
Former drug war poster boy Lt. Col. Jovie Espenido recently testified in the House’s quadcomm hearing, accusing Dela Rosa and Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go of rewarding money to police officers who helped eradicate illegal drugs, even if it meant killing suspects.
Espenido testified that the money used to reward cops came from different sources, including Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO).
The police chief-turned senator denied such accusations, calling it part of a script. Dela Rosa questioned why all of these problems were suddenly being connected, as POGOs were not even that prevalent at the time.
“Hindi pa man yan sikat noon, ako mismo ignorante kung ano ‘yang POGO, at that time, so bakit ngayon iko-connect niya yan doon?” Dela Rosa said.
(That was not well-known then, I myself was ignorant about what POGOs were at the time, so why am I being connected there?)
However, Duterte began the regulation of POGOs in 2016, when Dela Rosa was still the police chief.
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