Bato may be arrested over drug war if ICC asks–Bersamin
The Philippines may arrest a senator who served as police chief during then President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs if the International Criminal Court (ICC) issues a warrant over the campaign that left thousands of suspects dead, the top aide to President Marcos said on Wednesday.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin told Kyodo News that Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa would receive “treatment similar to what we did to Duterte,” who was arrested by Philippine police in March for alleged crimes against humanity over the killings, following a warrant issued by the court in The Hague.
Although the Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019 under Duterte, authorities are obliged to cooperate with court warrants as the country remains a member of Interpol, which facilitates ICC warrants.
Bersamin, a senior member of Marcos’ Cabinet, spoke after Dela Rosa won reelection with the third-highest number of votes among contested Senate seats in the Philippines’ midterm elections in May.
“If… there is (an Interpol notice), we proceed. But if the Supreme Court comes out with a ruling that (says) you must afford full due process before you surrender anyone, that’s what we are going to do,” Bersamin said.
In June, Duterte filed a petition with the ICC seeking temporary release to allow him to stay in another country. The court has yet to rule on the request.
“It’s up to [the ICC] to make that decision. It’s really a matter of us not having anything anymore to do” with the case, Bersamin said.
Official government data show that around 6,200 people were killed in the brutal antinarcotics campaign under Duterte, who served as president from 2016 to 2022, though human rights groups put the figure much higher.
