By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
After several months of manhunt operations, authorities said that they have already identified the whereabouts of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who has an outstanding ICC arrest warrant because of his linkages to various crimes during his tenure as a Davao cop and as the top official of the Philippine National Police.
The ICC said in an earlier statement, “The Chamber found there are reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. dela Rosa, a former Davao City Police Director and subsequently chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), is responsible for the crime against humanity of murder (article 7(1)(a) of the Rome Statute), through his involvement in a common plan that lasted from approximately 1 November 2011 until 16 March 2019 to kill alleged victims in the Philippines.
The Chamber found reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. dela Rosa is responsible, jointly with other co-perpetrators, including former President Duterte, for murders in the Philippines, between at least 3 July 2016 until the end of April 2018.”
However, the authorities are exercising utmost caution when dealing with Sen. dela Rosa, who remains in hiding and taking refuge under a powerful armed group, warning that forcibly arresting the former PNP Chief may result in bloodshed and violence.
DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla said in a media interview, “I would rather negotiate first than [risk] the lives of Filipinos in this. Kasi, you don’t always solve problems with a hammer. Sometimes, you solve things better in a more peaceful and humane way.”
As of press time, neither Malacañang nor Secretary Remulla disclosed the identity of the armed group, but authorities are already in talks with the armed group to ensure the orderly apprehension of Sen. dela Rosa.
Meanwhile, in a briefing on Wednesday, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro considered this development as ‘alarming’ and a national security threat that should be tackled and taken seriously.
“Itong mga ganitong klaseng grupo, sila ang sumisira sa institusyon. Sila ang gumigiba sa pagpapatupad ng batas. Kaibigan ba ito ni Sen. Bato dela Rosa? Hindi ba dapat natin malaman kung anong grupo ito, para mapanagot sila sa ginagawa nilang pang-aabuso sa batas?”
Several months have passed since the former PNP chief made his last public appearance, which resulted in the infamous chase as Senator dela Rosa hastily evaded authorities attempting to apprehend him, eventually culminating in the Senate shooting incident that transpired on May 13. (with report from Ryan Lesigues | PTV News)
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