Former National Police chief Oscar Albayalde is asking the Marcos administration to shield him from the long arms of the International Criminal Court (ICC) amid reports that a warrant for his arrest and extradition to the Hague is already in the pipeline.
He joins his predecessor, Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, in seeking government protection from the global tribunal that has charged them of being primary co-conspirators in the previous administration’s blood-soaked war against drugs.
“I am also counting on the government’s protection… I have not lost hope that our President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. [will extend protection],” he said in Filipino.
Albayalde, who is running for mayor of Angeles City, asked for protection from the incumbent administration even as he attended a pro-Duterte rally in the city to express his support for his former boss.
“It’s a sad day in the history of the Philippines that our [former] president was brought to another country to be tried for alleged crimes against humanity when we have sovereignty,” he argued.
To recall, Malacañang said it would respond positively to further ICC arrest warrants if coursed through the Interpol.
“As of now, we haven’t received information if there will be another warrant of arrest through the Interpol. Should there be one, we will have the same response, if the Interpol again requests the help of the administration. We will respond accordingly,” Palace Press Officer and Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro earlier said.
On Thursday, Dela Rosa said he would seek refuge at the Senate to keep him out of the ICC’s reach.
“When my warrant of arrest comes out, and the government will really try to have me arrested, I will avail of the protection that is going to be afforded to me by the Senate as an institution,” he told ANC in a mixture of Filipino and English.
“But if they tell me that it’s no longer tenable, you have to surrender yourself, then I will turn myself in peacefully,” he added.
Dela Rosa is apparently counting on a repeat of the “Batasan 5” incident, when five party-list lawmakers sought refuge at the House of Representatives to evade arrest for their alleged involvement in a coup plot against then-President Gloria Arroyo in 2006.
He said Senate President Francis Escudero promised to extend him the Senate’s protection for as long as it is possible.
However, Dela Rosa’s request from the Senate President did not sit well with a party-list lawmaker, who said the upper chamber should not be protecting mass murderers.
“When he [Dela Rosa] was PNP chief, he used his position to orchestrate the killings of poor Filipinos under the bloody war on drugs. Now, he wants to hide behind his Senate seat to escape accountability,” said Gabriela Women’s Party-List Representative and senatorial candidate Arlene Brosas.
Brosas said the Senate must uphold its integrity and refuse to shelter those facing serious charges of crimes against humanity.
“The Senate should not become a hideout for criminals. It’s an embarrassment if an institution that should promote justice would be used to evade accountability,” she added.
“Just a few days ago, he boldly challenged the ICC with ‘bring it on’ and even said he was ready to join and take care of Duterte in jail. But now that accountability is catching up to him, especially after Duterte’s arrest, he’s suddenly trembling in fear and scrambling for Senate protection,” Brosas noted.