MANILA – Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa cannot be arrested inside the Senate premises if ever the International Criminal Court (ICC) will issue an arrest warrant against him for alleged crimes against humanity.
According to Senate President Francis Escudero, Dela Rosa can stay within the Senate premises until all his legal remedies have been exhausted.
Escudero also cited the previous cases of senators who took refuge in the Senate amid the serving of arrest warrants against them.
“Ito’y ibat-ibang sitwasyong kinaharap ng Senado kung saan may kaso laban sa kanila, at ang naging pasya ng Senado ay ito: Hindi nakabase sa batas pero nakabase sa tinatawag na institutional courtesy,” Escudero said.
“Hindi papayagan ng Senado [na] arestuhin ang sinomang miyembro niya sa loob ng Senado lalo na kung may sesyon,” he added. “Ang isang sinabi ko sa kanya, we will try to afford him every opportunity to avail of legal remedies that he is entitled to.”
Escudero’s statament came after Dela Rosa earlier said that he will seek protection from the Senate should a warrant of arrest be issued against him.
Dela Rosa is reportedly included in the ICC case filed against former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently in ICC’s custody in The Hague, Netherlands.
According to the arrest warrant, the ICC pre-trial chamber found reasonable grounds to believe Duterte was “individually responsible for the crimes against humanity of murder” in connection with the killings blamed on his war on drugs./PN
