Dela Rosa laments Duterte’s ICC arrest: ‘Napakasama ng loob ko’

Metro Manila, Philippines - Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa expressed his frustration and disappointment over the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte by the International Criminal Court (ICC), questioning the role of Philippine authorities in carrying out the warrant.

Speaking at the “Bring Him Home: A Prayer for Tatay Digong” event at Liwasang Bonifacio on Saturday, March 15, Dela Rosa explained why he was absent when Duterte arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) from Hong Kong on March 11, where he was served the ICC warrant.

“Hindi ako sumama sa Hong Kong dahil sa gabi na yun alas tres ng madaling araw dapat ang biyahe ko papuntang Hong Kong pero merong nag-leak sa akin na information. Hindi pa rin tulog ang Diyos nagsabi na, sabihan mo sila na may warrant na si President Duterte at si Bato. Huhulihin sila pagbalik nila dito galing Hong Kong,” he said.

[TRANSLATION: I didn't go to Hong Kong because my flight was supposed to be at 3 a.m. that night, but I received leaked information. God was not asleep—someone told me to inform them that President Duterte and I already had a warrant. We would be arrested upon our return from Hong Kong.]

"So tinawagan ko si Medialdea. Sir meron nang warrant, hindi na ako hahabol diyan, asikasuhin ko nalang yung petisyon natin dito. Petition for cersiorari at prohibition."

[TRANSLATION: So I called (former executive secretary Salvador) Medialdea and told him there's already a warrant. I won’t be following them anymore. I’ll just take care of our petition here— a petition for certiorari and prohibition.]

Dela Rosa admitted feeling ashamed that he and Duterte's supporters were unable to prevent the former president’s arrest.

"Napakasama ng loob ko. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang naramdaman ko. Parang ganito na tayo ka-helpless," he said as the crowd cheered.

[TRANSLATION: I felt extremely bad. I didn’t know what to feel. It’s like we’ve become this helpless.]

The former national police chief also expressed disbelief that Philippine law enforcers were the ones who ensured Duterte’s transfer to The Hague.

"Sarili nating pulis ang magdadala ng ating presidente pilitin isakay sa eroplano para ibiyahe doon sa the Hague, Netherlands on what basis?"  he asked.

[TRANSLATION: Our own police are the ones forcing our president onto a plane to be taken to The Hague, Netherlands—on what basis?]

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. earlier clarified that Duterte's arrest was carried out due to the country’s obligations with Interpol.

“Interpol Manila received an official copy of the ICC warrant. The Department of Justice then served the warrant in compliance with our commitments to Interpol,” Marcos explained.

He emphasized that the action was not due to ICC recognition but out of adherence to international cooperation.

"If we don’t comply, Interpol may no longer assist us in tracking Filipino fugitives abroad. This is what the international community expects from us," Marcos added.

Despite this early explanation, Dela Rosa remained unconvinced.

"Alam ko ang papel ng Interpol. Huwag ninyo akong lokohin," he said. "Presidente ka ng Pilipinas nagpa-pressure ka sa Interpol? Pero lumalabas na mas gigil na gigil at mas atat na atat sila, kaysa Interpol, kaysa ICC. Atat na atat sila na ibiyahe si pangulong duterte. Bakit? ”

[TRANSLATION: I know the role of Interpol. Don’t take me for a fool. You're the President of the Philippines, yet you gave in to pressure from Interpol? But it turns out they were even more eager and impatient than Interpol and the ICC. They were in such a hurry to send President Duterte away. Why?]

"Pagdating ng araw na lalabas yung warrant of arrest ko, huhulihin ako ng PNP, ito Lang masasabi ko sa inyo, lahat ng ginagawa nila ay ilegal. Kasi yung warrant of arrest na kanilang sine-serve sa atin, hindi yan nanggagaling sa ating competent authority. Hindi yan nanggaling sa local natin. Hindi yan nire-recognize dahil hindi tayo under sa kanila. Dela Rosa ended his speech.

[TRANSLATION: When the day comes that my arrest warrant is issued and the PNP arrests me, this is all I have to say: everything they are doing is illegal. The arrest warrant they are serving us did not come from our competent authority. It did not come from our local jurisdiction. It is not recognized because we are not under their authority.]

After Duterte’s arrest, Dela Rosa said he would seek protection provided by the Senate as an institution, adding that he would fully rely on the Senate’s protection possible.

Duterte, who has repeatedly rejected the ICC’s jurisdiction over him, was transported to The Hague following his arrest, sparking protests from his supporters.

Meanwhile despite the protests from all sides, Communications Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said earlier this week that people should focus on understanding the root cause of the issue rather than blaming the current administration.

“Mas maiintindihan po ng taumbayan kung naging tama po ba ang hakbang ng administrasyon. So ang mas maganda po dito ay malaman nila kung paano ba ito nagsimula. Kung bakit nagkaroon ng warrant of arrest. Kung bakit nakipag-ugnayan sa interpol,” Castro emphasized during the Malacanang briefing on March 12.

[TRANSLATION: The public will better understand whether the administration's actions were justified. It’s important for them to know how this all started—why an arrest warrant was issued and why there was coordination with Interpol.]

“Kapag po kasi ang nakikitang naratibo ay nakakaawa ang dating pangulong Duterte, nandoon na po tayo sa bandang dulo e. dapat simulan natin bakit nga ba nagkaroon ng kaso sa ICC? Bakit nagkaroon ng warrant of arrest? Sino ba ang nagsampa ng kaso sa ICC? Kailan ba tumiwalag ang bansa sa ICC? Hindi po ba noong nakapagsampa na ng kaso ang mga diumanong biktima ng Pangulo?"

[TRANSLATION: If the only narrative presented is that former President Duterte is being pitied, we are already looking at the end of the story. We need to start from the beginning: Why was there a case filed with the ICC? Why was an arrest warrant issued? Who filed the case? When did the country withdraw from the ICC? Wasn't it after the alleged victims of the President filed their complaints?" she said.

The former president’s arrest stems from an ICC probe into alleged human rights violations under his administration’s war on drugs. Marcos pointed out that the case was initiated in 2017, when the Philippines was still a member of the ICC.