Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa has accused President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. of breaking his promise not to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC), calling the government’s decision to surrender former President Rodrigo Duterte a “betrayal to the max.”
Dela Rosa, Duterte’s former police chief and co-accused in the ICC case, recalled a past conversation with Marcos in Malacañang, where the president allegedly assured him that he would never cooperate with the tribunal.
“He told me before: ‘Don’t worry, I will never cooperate with the ICC because after you, who’s next? It might be us.’ That’s what he told me,” Dela Rosa said in an Inquirer.net report.
The Philippine government handed over Duterte to the ICC on Tuesday following a request from the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol). The former president faces charges of crimes against humanity over his administration’s violent war on drugs.
Marcos defended the move, insisting that the government was merely fulfilling its commitments to Interpol. “If we don’t do that, they will no longer help us with other cases involving Filipino fugitives abroad,” he explained.
Dela Rosa, however, rejected Marcos’ reasoning, calling it a “flimsy alibi.” He argued that the president had the authority to deny Interpol’s request, given that the Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019.
“They didn’t even present [Duterte] to our local courts. They went straight ahead and transported him. They were just too eager,” Dela Rosa said.
He believes the decision proves the administration’s direct involvement in Duterte’s arrest. “They shouldn’t use the Interpol as an excuse. That’s very shallow,” he added.
