By Brian Campued
Malacañang on Tuesday assured Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa would be given “protection” in accordance with the law after the latter pleaded for protection from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
In a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro stressed that all parties, including alleged victims of extrajudicial killings (EJK) and the accused individuals, are entitled to protection under the law.
“Maski naman po iyong mga EJK victims ay humihingi rin po ng proteksiyon sa gobyerno. So, ang akusadong katulad ni Senator Bato ay humihingi ng proteksiyon, lahat naman po ay bibigyan ng proteksiyon na naaayon sa batas,” Castro said.
When asked what kind of protection Dela Rosa would receive from the government, Castro said, “Kung maaaresto man po siya, lahat ng karapatan bilang isang akusado ay ibibigay po sa kaniya.”
In an interview with reporters at the Senate, a tearful Bato asked Marcos to protect him as a Filipino citizen and to not send him to The Hague, Netherlands, the headquarters of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
After he resurfaced on Monday, Dela Rosa was placed under Senate protective custody—an attempt to prevent authorities from arresting him pursuant to a warrant issued by the ICC for his alleged involvement as an “indirect co-conspirator” in the war on drugs campaign under former President Rodrigo Duterte.
The Palace, however, clarified that the Senate’s protective custody of Dela Rosa has limitations. She also reminded senators that they should know the limits of their authority, urging them to “not go beyond the law.”
“Mayroon pong tinatawag na privilege para hindi po hulihin ang sinumang senador habang nasa session kapag siya po ay nasa vicinity ng Senado,” Castro said.
“But alam po natin na ito ay may limitasyon. Kapag po ang isang krimen na nagawa ay may penalty na more than six years, hindi po mag-a-apply itong pribilehiyo na ito,” she added.
Malacañang likewise called on the public to respect the law and avoid violence after Duterte and Dela Rosa supporters staged a protest outside the Senate in Pasay City.
“Kapag po ba if ever mag-i-implement ng valid warrant of arrest o pagpapatupad ng utos ng isang korte, dapat po ba na ang mga Duterte at mga supporters ni Senator Bato ay maghasik at magalit sa gobyerno? Hindi po ba dapat tayong lahat, kahit anong kulay natin ay dapat na tumutupad sa batas at pinapatupad ang batas?” Castro said.
“So, hindi po kinakailangan na magkagulo. Alamin lamang ang batas, sumunod sa batas at hindi kinakailangang gamitin ang puwersa, hindi kailangang gamitin ang mga harassment na nanggagaling sa iba’t ibang kampo.”
Meanwhile, Castro said there are no discussions about whether the Philippines will rejoin the ICC amid the possible enforcement of the arrest warrant issued by the international tribunal.
“Ang huli niya [PBBM] pong sinabi ay hindi pa po magre-rejoin,” she said. “So, kung kinakailangan po sigurong aralin sa mga susunod na araw ay hindi naman po sarado ang Pangulo diyan.”
In 2018, the Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC.
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