VP Sara offers help to Dela Rosa after alleged ICC arrest order
Vice President Sara Duterte and Senator Ronald dela Rosa (OVP, MB File Photos)
Vice President Sara Duterte said she was already able to talk to Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and offered advice ahead of the alleged issuance of an International Crimimal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him.
Speaking to the media in Himamaylan, Negros Occidental on Tuesday, Nov. 11, Duterte admitted her conversation with Dela Rosa as early as April to prepare on how he could go about facing the possible ICC case.
“Sinabi ko sa kanya din na ang paghahanda niya magsisimula sa pagpili niya ng isang international law expert at merong experience sa ICC na abogado para nabibigyan siya ng advice kung ano yung mga dapat niyang gawin (I told him that his preparation will start in choosing an international law expert and a lawyer who has an experience at ICC to give him advice on what he needs to do),” she said in an interview.
The Vice President shared that she again reached out to Dela Rosa and spoke to his daughter when news came out that the ICC has issued an arrest warrant against the senator in connection with the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
“Sinabi ko kay Macky na kung interesado man si Senator Bato dela Rosa ng abogado ay meron akong mare-recommend sa kanya na isang British counsel doon based sa England, yung international law expert (I told Macky if Senator Bato dela Rosa is interested to have a lawyer, I can recommend to him a British counsel based in England),” she said.
It was Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla who said the ICC has issued an arrest warrant against Dela Rosa, but the international court has yet to confirm this.
“No the ICC can’t confirm such news,” ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah said in a statement on Monday, Nov. 10.
He explained that “ICC news can be found only on ICC official communications channels and press releases,” noting that “only one case to date has been opened” involving former president Rodrigo Duterte.
To date, the ICC has so far released the latest filings on the neuropsychologists who were part of a three-member panel of medical experts for the health assessment of Duterte.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier said that ICC arrest warrants may be sent directly to Philippine law enforcement agencies.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs and the Philippine Embassy in The Hague have not received any warrant of arrest or related documents from the ICC, nor has any such document been uploaded in the ICC online portal,” DFA spokesperson Angelica Escalona said.
“We note that under the Rome Statute, arrest warrants, if any, can be transmitted directly to law enforcement agencies of relevant countries,” she added.