Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa (Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said he is willing to face International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutors, but only if it involves being interviewed and nothing else.
“Kung makipag communicate sila sa akin walang problema. Kung gusto nilang mag interview, they can interview me anytime. Mag-iinterview lang sila, pero it doesn’t mean na yumuyuko ako sa kanilang jurisdiction,” said dela Rosa in a Radyo 630 interview.
(If they communicate with me, there is no problem. If they want an interview, they can interview me anytime, but that doesn’t mean that I bow to their jurisdiction.)
“Ako gusto ko lang na — e kung gusto [nila] mag-usap sasagutin ko ang mga tanong nila, pero it doesn’t mean na nire-regress ko ang kanilang jurisdiction over us,” he added.
(I just want to — if [they] want to talk, I will answer their questions, but that doesn’t mean that I am regressing their jurisdiction over us.)
Dela Rosa, however, stressed that it does not mean he is willing to cooperate with the international court should their investigators arrive in the Philippines.
“Hindi ‘yan ang term [na] cooperation. Kuwan lang, I just want to show amity or pagiging isang normal na indibidwal na kung magtanong ay hindi tayo bastos na sumasagot. Sasagutin ko, but it doesn’t mean I recognize their jurisdiction over me,” dela Rosa explained.
(Cooperation is not the term. It’s just that, I just want to show amity or being a normal individual, that if asked a question, we will not reply disrespectfully. I will answer, but it doesn’t mean I recognize their jurisdiction over me.)
Dela Rosa was the chief implementer of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal anti-drug war campaign.
He is among those mentioned in the crimes against humanity complaint before the ICC.
Former Sen. Sonny Trillanes IV earlier said Dela Rosa and four other former officials of the Philippine National Police “are now considered suspects” in the “drug war” case against Duterte.
“Being suspects, most likely they would be included in the warrants of arrest to be issued later on,” Trillanes earlier told INQUIRER.net.