ICC declines to comment on Dela Rosa's warrant 'speculation'
Senator Ronald dela Rosa (ICC, MB File Photos)
The International Criminal Court (ICC) remains mum about the reported arrest warrant against Senator Bato Dela Rosa for his alleged involvement in the thousands of killing under the previous Duterte administration’s war on drugs campaign.
“We do not comment on such speculation,” a statement from the ICC said when asked about the warrant of arrest.
“All public court records are published on the ICC website,” it added.
This came after former presidential spokesman and lawyer Harry Roque claimed that the arrest warrant against Dela Rosa is already out.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla has also claimed the same.
Dela Rosa has not been seen in public—even skipping the budget deliberations in the Senate—since then.
The senator was former president Rodrigo Duterte’s chief of Philippine National Police (PNP) when “Oplan Tokhang,” the Duterte administration’s flagship drug war campaign, was first introduced.
It is widely believed that he, along with the ex-leader, architected the war on drugs policy that killed thousands of mostly impoverished Filipinos in slum areas.
Duterte was arrested in March and brought to The Hague, Netherlands to face the crimes against humanity of murder charges lodged against him.
He has not been seen since March 14 when he faced the Pre-Trial Chamber I (PTC I) via teleconference to formally hear the charges against him.