Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa has lashed out at the Marcos administration over the possible surrender of Filipino officials to the International Criminal Court (ICC), warning it would be “committing the same mistake” twice if it proceeds with such action.
The former national police chief—who once led the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs—criticized Malacañang over renewed ICC discussions, following Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin’s recent remarks on the matter.
“If they want to commit the same mistake again, then go ahead. They can do that if they want to make another mistake,” said dela Rosa, quoted by Inquirer.net. “What they did to Duterte was a huge mistake.”
He was referring to the hypothetical scenario where the Philippine government would cooperate with the ICC in surrendering a Filipino citizen, just as discussions have swirled about potential charges tied to the previous drug campaign.
Dela Rosa dismissed the timing of the ICC-related conversations as a deliberate distraction tactic by those in power, suggesting it was aimed at drawing attention away from First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, who is currently being linked to the controversial death of Juan Paolo “Paowee” Tantoco.
“They often do that. If there’s an issue being thrown against Malacañang… they recycle other issues to divert people’s attention,” he remarked.
The senator, a key figure in the Duterte-era anti-drug operations, declined to provide details on his personal preparations in light of the potential ICC warrant. It was under his term as Philippine National Police (PNP) chief that the infamous “Oplan Tokhang” was launched, based on a memo he signed in 2016.
According to Atty. Kristina Conti, an ICC assistant to counsel, dela Rosa and retired police chief Oscar Albayalde may be among the next targets of arrest warrants by the ICC, Inquirer.net reported. The charges stem from their alleged roles in the thousands of killings tied to the previous administration’s war on drugs.
