By Nestor Corrales and Mikhail Flores
MANILA, May 15 (Reuters) – The Philippine justice minister said on Friday that the country will “definitely” submit to a request from the International Criminal Court to arrest a top senator wanted for alleged crimes against humanity during his role in a bloody “war on drugs”.
The warrant for the arrest of Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, the former police chief who oversaw ex-President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-narcotics crackdown, is valid and the Philippines has received a request to serve it, Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said.
The ICC unsealed a warrant on Monday for dela Rosa’s arrest, dated November. Dela Rosa had been taking refuge at the Senate but slipped out before dawn on Thursday in what his wife called an “escape”. His current whereabouts are unknown.
“We will definitely submit to the request of the ICC,” Vida told reporters on Friday.
Former President Duterte is currently in ICC detention following his arrest last year, and is set to become the first former Asian head of state to go on trial in The Hague. He is accused of crimes against humanity but has denied wrongdoing.
‘FLIGHT IS AN INDICATION OF GUILT’
The Philippines’ anti-graft chief and ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla told a news conference on Friday that dela Rosa needed to face up to the accusations against him.
“Flight is an indication of guilt, right? That’s a very basic tenet of criminal law,” he said.
“Is that how our senators should be? Someone who runs from the law? He should be held accountable.”
The justice department has already issued an immigration lookout order, justice secretary Vida said.
“We will treat any attempt by Senator dela Rosa to leave the country as a mockery of justice,” he said, adding that he has already issued an order to arrest him if he tried to flee.
While Vida said that authorities have information to determine the whereabouts of the senator, he clarified that a manhunt had not been launched, saying that “the arrest is conditional.”
Dela Rosa has filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court, arguing that the ICC has no jurisdiction after the Philippines’ 2019 withdrawal from the Rome Statute. He denies involvement in illegal killings.
Vida said the Supreme Court would be “the final arbiter”.
“We will listen to what the Supreme Court has to say,” he said.
SENATE SECURITY CHIEF SUSPENDED
On Friday, ombudsman Remulla also ordered a six-month suspension of the head of Senate security following the chaotic shootout inside the upper chamber on Wednesday.
Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca was suspended with immediate effect after admitting he fired the first warning shot during a standoff with National Bureau of Investigation agents inside the Senate building.
Troops were deployed to the building after dela Rosa urged his supporters to mobilise and thwart his imminent arrest.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr earlier called for calm and said no government personnel were involved in the incident.
The Senate and law enforcement agencies said an investigation into the shootout is underway.
Under the Philippine Constitution and the Ombudsman Act, the Ombudsman has the authority to discipline public officials and may impose preventive suspension to ensure impartiality during investigations.
Aplasca did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
“It’s a preventive suspension meant to make things easier for us to get to the bottom of this,” Remulla said.
“He was the first to fire. Do you fire at law enforcement? We do not tolerate that. What right does he have to do that? Not even the President will do that.”
(Reporting by Nestor Corrales and Mikhail Flores; Editing by David Stanway)
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