PH agencies ordered to carry out arrest of Bato dela Rosa with a valid ICC arrest warrant
The Department of Justice has ordered Philippine agencies to "effect the arrest" of Senator Bato dela Rosa based on a "valid" and "enforceable" arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court.
Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida confirmed this development at a May 21 press conference.
"I would like to confirm that the Philippine law enforcement agencies, which would include the PNP, the National Bureau of Investigation, are now tasked to effect the arrest of Senator Bato dela Rosa," he said.
"Sen. Bato is a fugitive from justice, and he should be brought to the ICC to face the charges before him," he added.
"This presupposes any order. We are operationalizing a valid arrest warrant. Given that there is no interim relief from the Supreme Court...law enforcement agencies will enforce (the warrant)," he continued.
This came after the Supreme Court denied dela Rosa's petition for a temporary restraining order seeking to block the implementation of the arrest warrant issued against him by the ICC over alleged crimes against humanity.
In its statement, the High Court clarified that it "only decided on the prayers for interim relief."
"The main issues raised by the parties in their pleadings and motions are yet to be resolved in the main case," it added.
Dela Rosa was under Senate protective custody from Monday, May 11, until he went missing again on May 13 following the Senate gunfire incident.
He served as chief of the Philippine National Police during former president Rodrigo Duterte’s administration and allegedly helped carry out the government’s bloody anti-drug campaign. Duterte is currently detained in The Hague awaiting trial before the ICC on charges of crimes against humanity.
Dela Rosa has been identified as one of Duterte’s alleged co-perpetrators and is included on the ICC wanted list.
