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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Zubiri: Without a local court order, Senate won't allow ICC to arrest Dela Rosa

Zubiri: Without a local court order, Senate won't allow ICC to arrest Dela Rosa

Published Jul 19, 2023 07:41 am
The Philippine Senate will only allow Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa to be arrested based on a valid arrest warrant issued by local courts, Senate President Juan Miguel F. Zubiri on Wednesday, July. 19, said. Zubiri issued the statement during a TV interview  when asked on the possibility of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing dela Rosa’s  arrest arising from the drug war waged by former President Duterte. Dela Rosa was then the Philippine National Police (PNP) chief during the Duterte administration.  “We have local courts, we have our Secretary of Justice, we have our own Department of Justice, we have our own local courts as I mentioned earlier,’’ he said in emphasizing the primacy of the Judiciary. Statement on the ICC's decision to proceed with PH drug war probe On the ICC's decision to proceed with Philippine drug war probe, Senator Francis Tolentino said that “once again, the denial of the appeal does not grant the ICC the jurisdiction which it lacks from the very beginning.’’ “Any misguided claims suggesting otherwise would only highlight ICC's persistent disregard for Philippine sovereignty. It is important to note that a foreign entity has no authority to investigate the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte,’’ he explained, Dela Rosa earlier said that Tolentino would be his counsel should he be forced to go on trial at the ICC in the Netherlands. ‘’Just the same thing that happened to Senator Trillanes, Senator de Lima, unless a local warrant of arrest is issued to a member of the Senate or Secretariat, the Senate will uphold their legal right unless there is a valid warrant of arrest,’’ Zubiri said. ‘’Without a local court order, the Senate is not duty bound to allow dela Rosa arrested without the local warrant of arrest issued by the courts,’’ he stated. ‘’Without the local warrant of arrest issued by the courts, then as far as I’m concerned, he is still a working member of the Senate and accorded of course that respect, similar to Senator De Lima and Senator Trillanes. only when the warrant of arrest was issued, then we allowed or we agreed that they may be taken in the custody,’’ he explained. The process, according to Zubiri, is the ICC should  be the one filing with the local courts, and the local courts would be the one issuing the warrant of arrest.  ‘’That should be the process. I’m just stating a fact, a legal fact,’’ he added.   Replied ‘’Yes’’ to a query whether the ICC should coordinate with the local court and that local court would issue the warrant arrest in behalf of the ICC. ‘’That’s why we are a sovereign nation. No outsider—imagine if Russia says we want to arrest whoever in the Philippines, and then all of a sudden they will be arrested without going through due process and then taken away from the country. We are still a sovereign country and they are still a citizen of this country. They do that with many other countries,’’ he pointed out. ‘’But, however, ang delikado diyan (what is scary is) if Senator Bato dela Rosa leaves the country and goes to the country that is friendly to the ICC, then they will act in that country to arrest Senator dela Rosa. But  here in the Philippines the process is they must coordinate with the local court,’’ Zubiri stressed. ‘’Whoever Senator, whoever, as I said whether you are the highest official of the land or lowest official of the land or member, citizen of this country, no one is above the law. If the local court issues a warrant of arrest, we cannot do anything about it. As I said, that is our practice of sovereign in our country. We have our local courts, they must respect tha,’’ he emphasized.

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Senator Migz Zubiri Ronald Bato dela Rosa ICC probe
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