Malacañang on Wednesday said the arrest warrant linked to the International Criminal Court against Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa remains valid after the Supreme Court denied the lawmaker’s plea for a temporary restraining order (TRO).
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the administration recognizes the validity of the warrant following the high court’s ruling.
“Sa ngayon ang masasabi po natin, ang warrant of arrest ay valid, laban ito kay Sen. Bato dela Rosa (For now, what we can say is the warrant of arrest against Senator Bato dela Rosa is valid),” Castro said.
Voting 9-5-1 during a special en banc session, the Supreme Court denied Dela Rosa’s request for a TRO and status quo ante order that sought to stop government agencies from enforcing any ICC-related warrant, red notice, or diffusion request without a Philippine court-issued warrant.
Castro also cited the position of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) that Dela Rosa may now be considered a fugitive.
“‘Yan din po ang pananaw ng OSG na siya ay kino-consider na fugitive (That is the position of the OSG, that the senator is a fugitive),” she said.
Senate ‘Escape’ Improper
Asked about President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s reaction to the CCTV (closed-circuit television) footage showing dela Rosa leaving the Senate premises aboard a vehicle owned by Senator Robin Padilla, Castro said the President believes the incident was improper.
“Sa paningin po ng Pangulo ay hindi po dapat ito nararapat (The President thinks that is not proper),” she said.
Castro said the videos earlier presented by Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla came from the Senate’s own surveillance system, amid allegations from Senate Sergeant-at-Arms retired Gen. Mao Aplasca that the footage was spliced.
She added that the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Department of Justice, and the Ombudsman would evaluate all evidence to determine the truth surrounding the incident.
Castro also questioned why Dela Rosa was allegedly allowed to leave despite supposedly being under Senate protective custody when National Bureau of Investigation agents earlier attempted to serve the warrant.
Dela Rosa, a former Philippine National Police chief and chief implementer of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, is facing possible arrest in connection with the ICC trial into alleged crimes against humanity linked to the killings in the previous administration’s war on drugs. (PNA)