The International Criminal Court (ICC) may seek the arrest of Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa upon the request of the Office of the Prosecutor, according to ICC-accredited Assistant to Counsel Kristina Conti.
In an interview with the Manila Standard on Monday, Conti expressed confidence, noting that the senator is included in the document containing the charges against former President Rodrigo Duterte.
“I know this because I was here in the Philippines at that time. Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa was an important part of the war on drugs. He signed the PNP command memorandum circular for Operation Double Barrel, which ordered the campaign to be carried out nationwide. He was the one directing the police on how to conduct the operations,” she said.
Conti added that Dela Rosa once called himself the “father of tokhang.” She also recalled that he dismissed the killing of a child during a police anti-drug operation with the remark “shit happens.”
Because of his key role, she said, it is impossible to exclude Dela Rosa from accountability for the war on drugs.
“So to speak, Bato Dela Rosa is the flip side of Rodrigo Duterte. Justice will not be complete if he is not brought before the ICC,” Conti said.
However, the human rights lawyer admitted that it would be difficult to send the senator to the international court, given his background as a former police chief. She added that Dela Rosa might even seek refuge in the Senate.
“I hope they do not place the interests of the few and powerful above those of the many. Truth and accountability are the only demands of the oppressed,” Conti said.
Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV earlier claimed that the Duterte administration’s drug campaign had two operational arms, one led by Dela Rosa and another linked to Sen. Bong Go, then Duterte’s closest aide.
Trillanes alleged that Dela Rosa oversaw the Philippine National Police’s tokhang operations targeting alleged drug users and pushers, while the second group under Go allegedly conducted special operations against rogue police officers and rival drug syndicates.
