ICC on the line? Bato ignored ‘European-sounding’ callers
A bald supporter of Sen. Bato Dela Rosa brandishes a placard shaped after the reelectionist’s head while urging everyone to vote for his “brother”. —INQUIRER.net/John Eric Mendoza
MANILA, Philippines — Was Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa just being trolled by “European-sounding” prank callers?
Or did he actually snub investigators from The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) who wanted a word with him about his past role in the deadly Duterte drug war?
Dela Rosa said the ICC may have tried to contact him around the time he was named a “suspect” in the court’s ongoing investigation into the antinarcotics crackdown of the previous administration, where he served as the national police chief.
READ: Bato dela Rosa urged to explain role in Duterte ‘drug war’ before ICC
Speaking to reporters on Thursday as he formalized his reelection run, he said, “Someone contacted the office, but we ignored it because we know they (the ICC) have no jurisdiction over us.”
It may have been just a prank caller—a “gago-gago” (idiot)—out to make fun of his situation, he said in an interview at the Commission on Elections desk set up at the Manila Hotel, where he filed his certificate of candidacy in the 2025 midterm polls.
“They could just be making up names [and] pretending to be Europeans who want to conduct interviews with me,” Dela Rosa said. “I told [my staff] to not bother [with those calls] because they could be lunatics wanting to jump on the issue.”
In late July, former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, a staunch Duterte critic, released a July 3 ICC document from the Office of the Prosecutor tagging Dela Rosa as one of the former ranking PNP officials being considered as suspects by the investigators.
The others were retired PNP chief Oscar Albayalde, former Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief Romeo Caramat Jr., former National Police Commission chief Edilberto Leonardo, and former PNP chief intelligence officer Eleazar Mata.
‘Can’t get away with it’
Sought for comment on Thursday regarding the calls Dela Rosa had snubbed, human rights lawyer Neri Colmenares said he “should have answered [the calls], rather than publicly declare it without confirmation.”
If indeed the calls came from the international tribunal, Dela Rosa “is wrong in thinking that he will get away with it by avoiding the ICC,” according to Colmenares, one of the lawyers for the families of the drug war victims.
“If he will not answer, it is almost sure that a warrant will be issued for his refusal to submit his ‘counteraffidavit,’” he said.
“Worse, once the ICC issues a warrant of arrest, he could be arrested here in the Philippines.”
