THE International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) called on the Senate to stop coddling Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa, who was ordered arrested by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity.
ICHRP Chairman Peter Murphy on Wednesday urged the Senate to surrender Dela Rosa to Philippine authorities “so he may be tried for his alleged crimes against humanity in the International Criminal Court.” “No government or state institution should protect an alleged mass murderer such as Dela Rosa. Like Rodrigo Duterte, he must face the charges against him as chief implementer of the sham war on drugs during the Duterte presidency,” Murphy said.
Amnesty International (AI) Philippines said the government should arrest Dela Rosa immediately following the ICC’s confirmation it has issued an arrest warrant for him in relation to his involvement in the bloody war on drugs during the term of then-president Rodrigo Duterte.
“Dela Rosa’s current position as senator should not shield him from facing charges at the ICC. It is imperative that regardless of politics, the process of justice prevails,” said Ritz Lee Santos III, AI Philippines section director.
An urban poor group, Sandugo, trooped to the Senate on Tuesday to appeal to the Senate to proceed with the possible impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte and make her defend herself from allegations of graft and corruption.
Sandugo leader Jet Gonzaga also called on Dela Rosa to surrender to proper authorities.
Murphy said Dela Rosa should not run away from the authorities. The ICHRP “stands in solidarity with the victims of the bloody drug war, which was really a war on the poor,” he said.
“The families of the victims continue to call for justice. We enjoin the international community to amplify the call and press the Marcos Jr. government to implement the ICC arrest warrant to apprehend Dela Rosa,” he added.
Santos said Dela Rosa “held a key role in the implementation of the so-called war on drugs under the administration of former president Duterte, responsible for command and direction over the police.” He was also chief of police in Davao City, where Duterte allegedly established and oversaw the Davao Death Squad while he was mayor.
“Now identified as wanted by the ICC, Dela Rosa should be surrendered to the court’s custody urgently,” Santos added.
The ICC on May 11 confirmed it had issued an arrest warrant for Dela Rosa. The warrant states that the ICC’s pretrial chamber found there were “reasonable grounds to believe” Dela Rosa had committed the crime against humanity of murder, citing incidents in which 32 people were killed between 2016 and 2018.
The AI noted that Republic Act 9851, criminalizing international crimes including genocide and crimes against humanity, requires the Philippine government to hand over those accused of committing crimes to international tribunals.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court (PCICC) said it “strongly” opposed the protective custody extended by the Senate to Dela Rosa.
In a statement written by the coalition’s co-chairmen, lawyer Ray Paolo Santiago and Aurora Corazon Parong, and published on the website of Amnesty International Philippines, the PCICC called on the country’s authorities to arrest the former police chief and send him to the ICC.
“We call on Philippine authorities to immediately arrest Senator Dela Rosa and surrender him to the International Criminal Court,” the group said.
Citing Article 127(2) of the Rome Statute, the Philippines’ withdrawal from the treaty does not affect obligations arising while a state was still a party, nor does it prejudice the continued consideration of matters already before the court before the country’s withdrawal took effect.
“The Senate should not be a safe refuge for a suspect of crimes against humanity. Philippine authorities should assist in bringing Senator Dela Rosa before the ICC. No public institution should be used to defeat the victims’ long struggle for justice,” Santiago said.
“We view any attempt to prevent the arrest and surrender of Senator Dela Rosa as a serious obstruction of justice and a betrayal of the rights of victims and their families, who have waited [for] many years for truth and accountability. The Filipino people should not be made to witness public institutions protecting those called to answer for grave international crimes,” the PCICC said.
Also on Wednesday, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said the Senate’s protective custody of Dela Rosa will no longer be justifiable once a Philippine court issues an order to surrender him to the ICC — unless the Supreme Court restrains or reverses it.
Dela Rosa surfaced at the Senate on Monday after almost six months of absence. He appeared on the same day his colleagues in the minority bloc staged a coup against Sen. Vicente Sotto III and installed Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president.
