Philippine senator seeks military support to block ICC drug war arrest

Email: online@newsofbahrain.com

Manila:  Ronald Dela Rosa, a sitting Philippine senator and former national police chief, has called upon the military to provide ‘peaceful support’ to prevent the government from enforcing an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him. 

Dela Rosa, who served as the primary enforcer of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly drug war, is facing charges of crimes against humanity for his role in the crackdown.

The senator, widely known as ‘Bato,’ made the appeal on Wednesday while entering his third day holed up inside the Senate building. He specifically urged his former classmates from the Philippine Military Academy and current service members to express their sentiment that the government of President Ferdinand Marcos should not hand him over to ‘foreigners’ to stand trial in the Netherlands.

Dela Rosa served as police chief from 2016 to 2018, a period during which human rights monitors say thousands of drug users and low-level peddlers were killed. 

He is accused of the crime against humanity of murder alongside Duterte, who was arrested in March of last year and is currently awaiting trial in The Hague.

The political situation remains tense as the newly established Senate leadership, which recently came under the control of Duterte loyalists, has stated it will only permit Dela Rosa’s arrest if ordered by a local Philippine court. 

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for President Marcos indicated that the executive branch would not interfere in the Senate's decisions regarding the matter.

Outside the Senate, approximately 500 riot police were deployed on Wednesday to manage a group of 250 protesters demanding that the ‘architect’ of the drug war be handed over to the ICC. 

Despite public pressure, the Philippine Supreme Court has yet to issue a ruling on Dela Rosa’s petition to stop the Manila government from enforcing the international warrant.

Photo Credits: AFP