Philippine politician wanted by ICC makes ‘escape’ after Senate chaos

By Chloe Mari A. Hufana, Reporter and Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel

A TOP Philippine politician wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) was no longer taking refuge at the Senate after what his wife called an “escape,” the Senate president said on Thursday, a day after chaos erupted over his possible arrest.

Senator Ronald “Bato” M. dela Rosa, the former police chief and top enforcer of ex-President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s bloody “war on drugs,” is wanted for crimes against humanity, the same offenses Mr. Duterte is accused of, and had been under the Senate’s protection since Monday.

Gunshots were heard late on Wednesday inside the heavily guarded Senate, leaving people there scrambling for cover, hours after Mr. dela Rosa, 64, appealed on social media for supporters to mobilize, saying agents were coming to arrest him.

His ally, Senate President Alan Peter S. Cayetano, said on Thursday he was no longer there and read to reporters a text message that he said was from Mr. dela Rosa’s wife, apologizing for the turmoil that his presence had created.

“It’s for this reason I’m sure Ronald made his escape,” said the text message from Mr. dela Rosa’s wife, Nancy.

The message did not disclose Mr. dela Rosa’s whereabouts but said fleeing “was not part of the plan.”

Mr. Cayetano also said nothing was wrong with Mr. dela Rosa’s departure since no warrant of arrest had been issued, addressing claims that he left with Senator Robinhood C. Padilla.

“I haven’t talked to Senator Padilla, but if they did, there’s nothing illegal with it,” Mr. Cayetano said at a press briefing.

The chaos comes after the ICC unsealed a warrant for Mr. dela Rosa’s arrest, dated November. He has filed an emergency appeal at the Supreme Court, arguing the ICC has no jurisdiction after the Philippines’ 2019 withdrawal from the Rome Statute.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., on Thursday morning, convened a meeting to discuss Wednesday evening’s incident, which Mr. Cayetano called an “attack” against the Senate.

In a video message late on Wednesday, he clarified he did not order federal agents to arrest the lawmaker. “There was no instruction to anyone to arrest Senator Bato,” he said in Filipino. “What happened was that I told the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) when the Supreme Court resolution came out, around four o’clock this afternoon, and I said, ‘Get out of there.’ They complied.”

The President said he talked to Mr. Cayetano, who agreed to “get to the bottom” of the fiasco.

He also urged Filipinos to remain calm, adding that the Senate and the Philippine National Police (PNP) will probe Wednesday’s shooting.

WARNING SHOT
Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro in a briefing on Thursday said the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao R. Aplasca fired the first warning shot during an encounter at the chamber on Wednesday evening, as Mr. dela Rosa, who is wanted by the ICC for crimes against humanity, resisted arrest.

This caused an unnamed NBI agent to fire back, leading to a tense encounter.

Detailing the order of events, Ms. Castro said NBI agents were deployed at the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) headquarters at the request of its President, Jose Arnulfo A. Veloso, to secure their premises. The GSIS, which leases a building to the Senate, is just one connecting bridge away from the chamber.

NBI Director Melvin A. Matibag granted his request, sending over fully armed NBI agents to the area.

According to Ms. Castro, Mr. Aplasca geared up when he saw NBI agents beside a GSIS “blue guard” at the second floor bridgeway.

“Upon arriving at the bridge at the GSIS premises, OSAA (Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms) questioned the NBI agent who was sitting alone with a GSIS blue guard,” Ms. Castro told a briefing in Filipino.

“The NBI agents introduced themselves and when they revealed their identities, Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca immediately fired a warning shot and because of that, the NBI agent was forced to fire a warning shot as well,” she added.

Mr. Matibag said after firing a warning shot, consecutive gunshots came from the OSAA.

“Our NBI agent left the area and ran. He was accompanied by a blue guard, so they both left. But I am holding him so that we can bring his firearms to the NBI and him so that the PNP can conduct a proper investigation,” he told the same briefing in Filipino.

With the guidance of Justice Secretary Fredderick A. Vida, Mr. Matibag said the NBI did not plan on approaching Mr. dela Rosa even if he was in the GSIS area due to an ongoing case before the Supreme Court.

The lawmaker earlier asked the high tribunal to block any attempt to transfer him to The Hague. The Supreme Court on Wednesday gave the Philippine government three days to respond to Mr. dela Rosa’s lawsuit.

“Even though there is no temporary restraining order, from the point of view of lawyers like the Department of Justice, the court gave three days, 72 hours, for the government to comment, so we think that our Supreme Court will have a quick resolution on this, so we shouldn’t act contrary to the direction of the court,” Mr. Matibag said in Filipino.

Police Chief Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr. said the number of shots fired is not less than 30.

Mr. Nartatez assured the police would not give special treatment to Mr. dela Rosa, a former police chief.

The police are exhausting all necessary resources to speed up the investigation and resolve the incident, its chief added.

NO SPACE FOR VIOLENCE
In a press statement sent to reporters through Viber, acting Senate Majority Leader Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva said violence has no space in democracy.

“The events that transpired at the Senate earlier are bothersome, especially that the exchange of gunshots happened a few meters where the senators were conducting a meeting,” Mr. Villanueva said, noting that members of the press and Senate staff were also on the same floor.

Meanwhile, Senator Ana Theresia N. Hontiveros-Baraquel explained in a statement that those in the minority bloc went home since the session had been adjourned, urging the public to not politicize the shooting incident.

Ms. Hontiveros, who is among the sponsors of Senate Resolution No. 395 urging Mr. dela Rosa to surrender to proper authorities and seek judicial remedy, renewed the appeal in her statement.

“To avoid future violence and tensions in and outside the Senate, Senator dela Rosa should submit and cooperate with law enforcers about his warrant,” she said.

Senator Paolo Benigno A. Aquino IV also filed Resolution No. 397 on Thursday seeking probe into the shooting incident, aiming for a strengthened security protocol.

Meanwhile, Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio, whose father is facing ICC trial, said the constitutional rights of Mr. dela Rosa would be violated if the government surrendered him to the tribunal.

Ms. Duterte said Mr. dela Rosa’s rights as an accused under the Bill of Rights and protected by the Constitution will be struck should the government turn him over to the ICC.

She said the foreign tribunals have no jurisdiction in the Philippines, adding their issuances cannot be enforced locally unless local courts issue corresponding orders.

“Because when you say that it is possible in a Republic Act, that will be violating the rights of an accused that are in our Bill of Rights that are protected by our Constitution,” she told supporters in The Hague, the Netherlands, in Filipino.

“That means the rights of Senator Bato dela Rosa have been violated,” she added, according to a transcript from her office.

‘DEAD CAT’ STRATEGY
Hansley A. Juliano, a political science lecturer at the Ateneo de Manila University, said Wednesday evening’s spectacle is still within the “dead cat” strategy of the Duterte camp to cause mess and noise to distract from key policy accountability.

“Unfortunately, Mr. Marcos and the opposition, mostly by remaining policy bedfellows, continue to be caught unprepared by the level of disrespect the Duterte camp has for institutions and norms, if only to preserve their narratives to be sold to their controlled bases,” he said via Facebook Messenger.

The developments on Mr. dela Rosa’s return to the Senate after a prolonged absence exposed massive weakness in the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the PNP and the OSAA, Mr. Juliano added.

Ms. Duterte, who was impeached by the House of Representatives earlier this week, will face the Senate for a trial.

Mr. dela Rosa’s return to the chamber last Monday was believed to be a ploy to elect a new Senate president, seen largely in favor of the Duterte camp.

If the Senate convicts Ms. Duterte, she will be perpetually barred from holding public office, hindering presidential hopes. — with Reuters