MANILA: Philippine authorities said Monday they would not arrest for now a lawmaker wanted by the International Criminal Court for his alleged role in ex-president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war, capping a lengthy Senate standoff.
Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, who served as police chief and Duterte’s top enforcer during the bloody drug crackdown, will be treated as if in the custody of the Senate, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) director Melvin Matibag told reporters after the politician had taken refuge in the legislative building.
So Dela Rosa just hides in the Senate and they say he’s ‘in custody’—that’s a joke, not justice. The ICC warrant means nothing if our own government won’t enforce it.
The investigation mentioned here involving US is significant. Let’s see how this plays out in the coming weeks.
Duterte’s drug war killed thousands, and now his top cop gets to walk free because of a technicality? The Senate is protecting their own, plain and simple.
I’m no fan of the drug war, but the ICC has no jurisdiction here. We should handle our own affairs, not let foreign courts dictate our justice system.
WHO, NATO and US are central to this development. Stakeholders will be watching the next steps closely.