Makabayan member Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel has advised Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa to brace for the potential entry of International Criminal Court (ICC) investigators to the Philippines.
'Mawalang-galang na po': Kabataan solon tells Bato to 'prepare' for ICC probe
Nov 25, 2023 05:41 AM
At a glance
Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel (left), Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa (Facebook)
Makabayan member Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel has advised a certain senator to brace for the potential entry of International Criminal Court (ICC) investigators to the Philippines.
In a virtual press conference, Manuel "respectfully" reminded Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa that he could be implicated in the ICC probe on the previous Duterte administration’s bloody war against illegal drugs.
"Dahil dawit din dito ang isang senador, mawalang-galang na po, si Senator Bato dela Rosa. Sana maghanda muna siya doon sa ICC investigation," the youth solon said.
(Because this involves a senator, who, respectfully, is Senator Bato dela Rosa. I hope he prepares first for the ICC investigation.)
"Nababalitaan po natin na sa gitna ng lahat ng ito, ang kaniyang balak na namang gawin ay magsimula na naman ng mga hearing sa Senado para maghabi ng mga kuwento, para i-demonize ang mga kabataang tumututol sa state-sponsored na patayan," the Makabayan stalwart said.
(We've been hearing that amid all of this, he's planning to once again start hearings in the Senate in order to weave stories to demonize the youth who are opposing state-sponsored killing.)
Dela Rosa was the handpicked Philippine National Police (PNP) chief when Rodrigo Duterte took over the reins in Malacañang in 2016. The drug war began immediately at the start of the Duterte administration.
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The Makabayan bloc had earlier filed House Resolution (HR) No.1393, which sought the Philippine government's cooperation for the ICC investigation on Duterte. HR No.1393, together with a similar resolution, underwent deliberation in the House last Wednesday.
Depending on who you ask, the death toll under Duterte's anti-narcotics campaign ranges from 5,000 to as many as 30,000 people.
It was March 2018 when then-president Duterte ordered the withdrawal of the Philippines from the Rome Statute, which created the ICC.
This, after ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced that she would start a preliminary examination against Duterte in connection with complaints on his bloody war against drugs.
Dela Rosa won a Senate seat in 2019 following his retirement from the PNP.