Courtesy: Senate of the Philippines
SENATOR Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa firmly rejected on Wednesday the appeal from five minority senators that he voluntarily surrender to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has issued an arrest warrant against him over alleged crimes against humanity.
In an interview, he dismissed the call as a mere political move, stressing that only a small fraction of the public supports the idea while the vast majority stands with him. “Out of 24 senators, lima sila. Ito naman mga families kuno ng victims kuno ng EJK, ilan sila? Siguro kung percentage-wise, bigyan natin kahit na 10% Filipinos ang nagsasabi, sumuko ka sa ICC,” he said, adding: “Pero 90% ng Pilipino nagsasabi sa akin, ‘Sir, huwag kang magpapahuli sa mga dayuhan. Filipino tayo, we are a sovereign state. Hindi tayo miyembro ng ICC. Huwag na huwag kang magpapahuli.’”
The call for surrender came just a day earlier, when Senators Francis Pangilinan, Vicente Sotto III, Panfilo Lacson, Risa Hontiveros, and Bam Aquino filed Proposed Senate Resolution No. 395.
The measure emphasized that the Senate has long respected judicial processes, citing precedents such as the voluntary submission of former Senator Juan Ponce Enrile and the legal remedies pursued by former lawmakers Leila de Lima and Antonio Trillanes IV. They argued that yielding to proper authorities strengthens democratic institutions and upholds the principle that no official is above the law. But Dela Rosa brushed this aside, claiming it was all politically motivated. “Hindi ako namomolitika dito but I’m stating a fact… Dahil alam namin ang background nito, political lang itong lahat bakit nagkagaganoon,” he maintained.
Adding to the pressure, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag also appealed to the senator on Wednesday to cooperate and submit himself to authorities.
Matibag noted Dela Rosa’s own background in law enforcement, saying: “Siya naman po nanggaling sa law enforcement. To avoid all these things, mas mabuti siguro na sumuko siya sa awtoridad para magawa natin ‘yung tamang proseso at hindi na rin nagkakagulo at marami pang nai-involve na mga tao.” Despite this appeal, however, Dela Rosa remained unyielding. He continues to stay within the Senate premises under what his camp calls “protective custody,” standing by his position that he will never surrender to a foreign court, and framing his stand as a defense of Philippine sovereignty and the will of the people he believes are behind him.
