Dela Rosa’s fires back at Palace official’s statement

Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa  (Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB)

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa has asked Palace Press Officer Claire Castro to put herself in his situation, questioning her if she is willing to “surrender herself to authorities” citing what he called “injustices” surrounding the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte. 

Dela Rosa was reacting to the statement of Castro who said that it would not bring any good to Filipinos if their leaders decided not to face the cases and allegations against them.

Castro’s comment stemmed from an earlier remark from the senator, stating that he was considering going into hiding amid a possible arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC)

“Ikaw, Ms. Castro, if you see injustice happening around, are you still going to surrender yourself to the authority? Yan ang itanong mo sa kanya,” Dela Rosa said in an interview with DWIZ on Saturday. 

(You, Ms. Castro are you still going to surrender if injustices is happening around? That’s my question to her.)

“Oo, hindi nakabubuti yung gagawin ko. Pero yung ginagawa nila, nakakabuti ba yun sa ating bansa? Yung hinuli nila at dinala si Pangulong Duterte doon sa The Hague, nakakabuti ba yun sa ating bansa,” he added.

(Yes, what I’m doing is not good. But are their actions good for the country? When they arrested President Duterte and took him to The Hague, is it good for our country?)

Dela Rosa claimed that the government’s move related to Duterte’s arrest only benefited them politically. 

The senator also maintained that he would only face a case in the Philippines and not before a foreign court. 

Dela Rosa was the first Philippine National Police chief of the administration of Rodrigo Duterte.

Dela Rosa issued Command Memorandum Circular No. 16-2016, which was the basis for Project Double Barrel which started Duterte’s war on drugs.

This particular role landed him on the roster of Duterte administration officials who were accused of crimes against humanity by drug war victims-families before the ICC.

The Duterte administration’s drug war claimed at least 6,000 lives, according to official government data.

Human rights watchdogs, however, estimated the death toll to be between 12,000 and 30,000 from 2016 to 2019.

Last March 11, Duterte was served an arrest warrant by the ICC over alleged crimes against humanity committed during his administration’s drug war. 

Duterte is currently in The Hague, Netherlands, and attended his pre-trial hearing at the International Criminal Court (ICC) via video call last March 14.