Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said that Senator Ronald Dela Rosa was last known to be in Davao.
However, Remulla pointed out that the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) cannot take action against him because it has yet to receive a formal copy of the supposed arrest order from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Remulla said that as far as he knows, Dela Rosa, who used to be his neighbor in Cavite, no longer goes home there and is currently in Davao with his family, he told GMA Integrated News’ Unang Balita in an interview.
Dela Rosa has yet to make any public appearance, even skipping Senate hearings and sessions, after Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, who is also Jonvic’s brother, said that the ICC has reportedly issued a warrant against Dela Rosa.
The Ombudsman also said he has an unofficial copy of the warrant. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DOJ) denied the request to provide information in relation to an alleged arrest warrant issued by the ICC against him.
In a social media post on Tuesday, lawyer Israelito Torreon, Dela Rosa’s counsel, said that “the public needs to know this official reply from the DOJ whether or not the Philippines has officially received a warrant of arrestfrom the ICC.”
“Consistent with judicial courtesy accorded to all courts, we regret that we cannot issue any advice or guidance on the matter,” the document reads, signed by Chief State Counsel Dennis Arvin Chan. In the said document, the DOJ explained that the Supreme Court has already taken cognizance of the issue that is the subject of the request.
In December, former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque claimed that the arrest warrant against Dela Rosa is already out.
