INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — They are acting as “world police,” Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa lamented on Thursday after meeting with European Parliament members.
Some Philippine senators met with six European Parliament members on Wednesday and discussed human rights issues in the country, including the brutal war on drugs.
Dela Rosa and former President Rodrigo Duterte were accused of crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court (ICC) due to the drug war.
“Nakatulong ‘yun [discussion] in the sense na na-confirm ko talaga na sila they’re acting as world police. Dapat kung pupunta ka rito for consultative purposes, dapat magaling kang — alam mo na how to deal with people,” dela Rosa said on ANC Headstart.
(The discussion helped in the sense that I confirmed that they’re acting as world police. If they are visiting here for consultative purposes, they should know how to deal with people.)
In a text message to INQUIRER.net, he clarified that he was only referring to the Spaniard member of the European Parliament.
The senator likewise said that the visiting members are close-minded.
“Parang sarado na ‘yung utak nila. Ako nakita ko, they don’t come here to consult us and to know the real situation and to know the truth. But, they come here as a world police na para bang, ‘hindi n’yo dapat gawin ito, ito dapat gawin n’yo. Otherwise…’ Para bang tinatakot tayo,” he added.
(They are close-minded. From what I see, they don’t come here to consult us and to know the real situation and to know the truth. But, they come here as a world police asking us, “don’t do this, do this instead. Otherwise… It seems that they are threatening us.)
The senator also shared that one European Parliament member looks at him as if he killed a person.
“Parang ang tingin niya sa akin ay mamamatay-tao, parang gan’un. Sabi ko, ‘iba ang dating sa’kin nitong tao na ito.’ Alam mo, pulis ako. I know how to profile a person, lalo na siya is coming from the left doon sa Europe,” dela Rosa recounted.
(That lawmaker looked at me like I’m a killer. I said, “this person comes off differently to me.” You know, I’m a policeman. I know how to profile a person, especially someone who is coming from the left in Europe.)
Asked if he would accept an invitation to go to Europe for a visit as a senator, dela Rosa refused.
“Hindi ako pupunta. Sarado na utak ng mga tao na ‘yun. No amount of explanation can convince them that we have a functioning judicial system,” he said.
(I will not go. They are close-minded people.)
Duterte is under the ICC’s scrutiny for launching the illegal drug campaign in 2016, which led to alleged extrajudicial killings and other atrocities. Dela Rosa was then Philippine National Police chief during the campaign’s implementation.
The ICC resumed its probe last month after having it suspended in 2021 as the body’s chamber “is not satisfied that the Philippines is undertaking relevant investigations that would warrant a deferral of the Court’s investigations on the basis of the complementarity principle.”
Government data shows that there are 6,248 drug war deaths as of April 30, 2022. Human rights organizations’ figures, however, are higher with more than 20,000.