ASEANEWS HEADLINE–DU30 ICC EJK TRIAL | ICC WARRANT VS DELA ROSA VALID – DOJ Govt manhunt on for fugitive senator

Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida confirmed that the Philippine National police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) have been ordered to arrest the senator.

Vida said the warrant was transmitted to Philippine authorities last year. The ICC unsealed it last May 12.

He said the warrant was not enforced earlier because of the “protective custody” extended to Dela Rosa by the Senate and the petition for a temporary restraining order (TRO) before the Supreme Court.

Vida confirmed that law enforcement agencies have information about Dela Rosa’s whereabouts, but refused to elaborate.

“There are definitely leaks,” he said. “I cannot discuss them. Let law enforcement agencies handle them.” He rejected claims that the warrant bypassed proper channels. “There was coordination among different branches,” Vida said.

Dela Rosa, who served as PNP chief under former president Rodrigo Duterte, was the enforcer of the drug war that killed thousands of people.

 

 

He was elected to two successive six-year terms in the Senate after retiring from the force.

Dela Rosa is on the run after fleeing the Senate building last week, hours after a shooting incident between government agents and Senate security personnel.

After a dramatic chase up the Senate stairs on the same day, government agents who failed to arrest him later paused the effort as the Senate leadership gave him sanctuary.

PNP chief Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the Maritime Group and the Aviation Security Group had been alerted against any attempt by Dela Rosa to flee the country.

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Nartatez said the Bureau of Immigration has no record of Dela Rosa leaving the country. Just the same, police were instructed to step up the monitoring of exit points.

Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said on Thursday the government will exhaust all legal means to arrest Dela Rosa.

The ICC named Dela Rosa as an “indirect co-perpetrator” of Duterte, who is himself facing charges of crimes against humanity in connection with his administration’s bloody anti-drugs campaign.

Former Senate president Franklin Drilon on Thursday criticized the NBI for saying it was “awaiting a directive” before enforcing the warrant against Dela Rosa.

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“Directive from whom? From the President? From the Department of Justice? This is a simple service of a warrant. It is something authorities do every day,” Drilon said in a radio interview.

He also criticized Malacañang and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) for distancing themselves from responsibility.

“Now Malacañang is saying the service of the ICC warrant is an operational matter dependent on the DOJ. Then we have a DILG saying the DOJ is the lead agency and not them,” Drilon said.

He noted that in previous high-profile operations involving former president Duterte and televangelist Apollo Quiboloy, it was the DILG, through the PNP and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, that took the lead in making the arrest.

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The Nagkaisa Labor Coalition on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to deny the TRO on the ICC warrant against Dela Rosa.

The court voted 9 for and 5 against, with one abstention, in denying the petition.

“A warrant recognized as valid by the President must be enforced without delay. The rule of law cannot be placed on hold like a pending playlist,” the labor groups said.

“There is no arbitrary arrest in enforcing the ICC warrant. It was issued by a judge who personally found reasonable grounds to believe that crimes were committed — a standard substantially equivalent to probable cause under Philippine law and jurisprudence,” it said.

Nagkaisa Chairman Sonny Matula said the country is “dealing with the surrender of a person covered by a valid warrant of arrest, issued by an independent judicial authority, for alleged crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court — an international tribunal with which our own law, Republic Act (RA) 9851, recognizes cooperation.” In a Messenger chat with The Manila Times, Panagutin Network-Netherlands spokesman Joel Vega said the denial of the TRO was expected.

“The Solicitor General has made a clear case not only against the TRO but also spoke on the validity of the ICC warrant and gave her opinion on the ICC jurisdiction. Republic Act 9851 (the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity) is also unequivocal about this case and any argument saying the opposite is simply going into further technicality that needlessly complicates what has already been provided in our laws. The case of Bato is actually a mockery of our laws because what has happened in the Senate should not have happened if Cayetano has not provided the so-called protective custody,” Vega said.

The NBI Retirees and Ex-Employees Association Inc. (NBI-Rexeai) on Thursday expressed support for NBI Director Melvin Matibag and his agents, amid the controversies surrounding the Senate standoff last week.

The group commended the NBI for its “steadfast commitment to upholding the rule of law and their efforts to execute” the ICC warrant against Dela Rosa.

“Despite the undue challenges posed by certain members of the Philippine Senate, we recognize and applaud their determination in the face of adversity. It is disheartening to witness the coddling of Senator Dela Rosa and his subsequent evasion of accountability, particularly during his time in ‘protective custody,’” it said.

The group also condemned the “reckless actions” of the Senate’s security personnel led by Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca, who “unjustifiably discharged their firearms at the NBI and within the Senate premises.”

“Such behavior not only endangers the lives of our agents, the press and other people in the Senate, but also undermines the very fabric of law and order that we strive to uphold,” the NBI-Rexeai said.

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It condemned Sen. Imee Marcos’ attempts to influence her brother, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., to suspend Matibag and his agents.

In another statement, the NBI Investigators Mutual Benefit Association also affirmed its support for Matibag.

“In the face of damaging and perilous accusations, false allegations and politically motivated attacks aimed at discrediting the Bureau and its personnel, the members of the organization consistently remained resilient, upholding their commitment to professionalism and maintaining their actions within the bounds of legality and propriety, demonstrating unwavering dedication to their duties regardless of external pressures,” the association said.

“They emphasized that, in the face of ongoing political volatility and uncertainty, it is essential to vigorously uphold and protect the core values of the National Bureau of Investigation. These values include its unwavering integrity, honor, credibility and the independence of its institutional operations, which are vital for maintaining public trust and effective law enforcement,” it said.

WITH AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, PNA, BERNADETTE TAMAYO AND ARIC JOHN SY CUA

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