The camp of Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa on Monday defended the actions of the lawmaker, saying he is not a fugitive from justice as claimed by the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG).
“That is an act of self-preservation because we all know that precedent has shown that former President Rodrigo Duterte’s unlawful arrest remains under question, and yet he is languishing somewhere in a foreign country beyond the reach of our laws,” lawyer Jimmy Bondoc said in an interview.
Meanwhile, Israelito Torreon, counsel for Dela Rosa, filed their response to the comment of the OSG.
“We leave the outcome to Allah but i urge everyone to storm the heavens with prayer that the outcome will be favorable to the Petitioners, specifically to Senator Dela Rosa,” Torreon said in his social media post.
Bondoc, one of Dela Rosa’s legal counsels, added that the government’s denial of the deployment of personnel from the National Bureau of Investigation also raised doubts in the mind of his client.
“Taken together, who would not run from an uncertain group of individuals?” he told ABS-CBN.
The remarks were made following the filing by the OSG of its comment on Saturday seeking the denial of Dela Rosa’s manifestation and motion before the Supreme Court of the Philippines.
“Indeed, Senator Dela Rosa’s acts demonstrate a clear and deliberate intent to evade arrest and prosecution. By his own conduct, he has placed himself outside the protection of the law and until he submits himself to lawful authorities, he must be deemed a fugitive from justice and should not be allowed to seek any relief from the courts,” the comment read.
For his part, Torreon also asserted that Dela Rosa is not a fugitive from justice, noting that such characterization is legally baseless and unfair.
“There is no Philippine court-issued warrant against him, no local criminal case requiring his arrest, and no final judicial directive from any Philippine court ordering his surrender to the ICC. What is being questioned before the Supreme Court is precisely the legality of enforcing an ICC process inside Philippine territory without Philippine judicial authority,” he said in a social media post.
Torreon refused to disclose the whereabouts of the lawmaker, who was once again absent from the Senate session at the start of the impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte.
“As to his current location, we cannot comment on such matters, but what we can say is that Senator Dela Rosa has continuously sought relief from the Supreme Court and has not abandoned legal remedies. Invoking the protection of the Constitution cannot be twisted into evidence of guilt or flight,” he added.
