THE International Criminal Court (ICC) may issue additional arrest warrants for individuals who allegedly acted as “co-perpetrators” with former President Rodrigo Duterte in the drug war killings during his administration, according to a lawyer representing the families of victims.
Atty. Joel Butuyan, in an interview with GMA News on Wednesday, March 12, stated that the arrest warrant issued for Duterte hints at the involvement of others. “If you read the arrest warrant, there are indications that there are others besides President Duterte. Because the description given there for President Duterte is an indirect co-perpetrator,” he explained.
Butuyan suggested that Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who served as the Philippine National Police (PNP) chief during Duterte’s term, could be among those targeted for arrest. “So, if he’s a co-perpetrator, he has other co-perpetrators. So, we hope that this is just the beginning and there are others like Senator Bato dela Rosa who may be served with arrest warrants in the coming days,” Butuyan added.
Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, one of the individuals who filed the case against Duterte at the ICC, also indicated that dela Rosa could be included in future arrest warrants. “We expect more arrest warrants to come, but we may be waiting for Bato dela Rosa alone,” Trillanes said.
