MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government has yet to receive a copy of the reported warrant of arrest against Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa, Interior and Local Government Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla said on Tuesday.
Among those who broke the news about an impending arrest order against Dela Rosa, the known enforcer of former leader Rodrigo Duterte’s “Oplan Tokhang” campaign against illegal drugs, was Remulla’s brother, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla.
“As far as I’m concerned, it remains ‘alleged.’ But as far as I am concerned, I have not seen a formal copy of a warrant of arrest or request for an arrest from the ICC (International Criminal Court),” Remulla said in Filipino in a Palace briefing.
“So, just to make it clear, neither the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs), nor the DILG, PNP (Philippine National Police) center of a transnational crime has received a formal copy of the warrant of arrest. However, there are several people who claimed to have seen a copy. But the formal copy has not yet been shown to us. So as far as I am concerned, there really is no warrant of arrest yet,” he added.
Dela Rosa has ceased attending sessions in the Senate since November following reports that the ICC had issued an order for his arrest.