By Chloe Mari A. Hufana, A reporter again Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel
A senior Philippine politician wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) was no longer in the Senate after what his wife called an “escape,” the president of the Senate said Thursday, a day after an uproar over his arrest.
Senator Ronald “Bato” M. dela Rosa, a former police chief and a key figure in “former President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s bloody war on drugs,” is wanted for crimes against humanity, the same crimes Mr.
Gunshots were heard Wednesday inside the heavily guarded Senate, leaving people scrambling to defend themselves, hours after Mr. dela Rosa, 64, appealed on social media for fans to gather, saying agents are coming to arrest him.
His colleague, the President of the Senate, Alan Peter S. Cayetano, said on Thursday that he was gone and then he read to reporters a message that he said came from the wife of Mr. dela Rosa, apologizing for the disturbance caused by his presence.
“It is for this reason that I am sure that Ronald jumped,” said the message from the wife of Mr. dela Rosa, Nancy.
The message did not reveal Mr dela Rosa’s whereabouts but said running away was “not part of the plan.”
Mr. Cayetano also said that there is nothing wrong with the departure of Mr. dela Rosa as an arrest warrant has not yet been issued, addressing the allegations that he went with Senator Robinhood C. Padilla.
“I haven’t talked to Senator Padilla, but if they do, it’s illegal,” said Mr. Cayetano in a press conference.
The uproar comes after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Mr. dela Rosa, of November. He filed an urgent appeal at the Supreme Court, saying the ICC lacks jurisdiction after the Philippines’ 2019 withdrawal from the Rome Convention.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., on Thursday morning, called a meeting to discuss the incident of Wednesday evening, Mr. Cayetano called it an “attack” on the Senate.
In a video message late Wednesday, he clarified that he did not order federal agents to arrest the perpetrator. “There is no order to arrest Senator Bato,” he said in Filipino. “What happened is that I told the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) when the decision of the Supreme Court came out, at four o’clock this afternoon, and I said, ‘Get out of there.’ They agreed.”
The President said he spoke to Mr. Cayetano, who admitted to “getting to the bottom” of the fiasco.
He also urged Filipinos to remain calm, adding that the Senate and the Philippine National Police (PNP) will investigate Wednesday’s incident.
WARNING SHOT
Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro in a Thursday briefing said Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao R. Aplasca fired the first shot during a meeting in the chamber on Wednesday evening, as Mr. dela Rosa, who is wanted by the ICC for crimes against humanity, has refused to be arrested.
This caused the unnamed NBI agent to fire back, leading to a heated confrontation.
Explaining the organization of events, Mrs. Castro said NBI agents were deployed at the headquarters of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) at the request of its President, Jose Arnulfo A. Veloso, to secure their premises. The GSIS, which leases a building from the Senate, is just one connecting bridge away from the chamber.
NBI Director Melvin A. Matibag accepted his request, sending fully armed NBI agents to the area.
According to Ms. Castro, Mr. Aplasca braced himself when he saw NBI agents flanked by GSIS “blue guards” on the second floor bridge.
“When we got to the bridge at the GSIS compound, the OSAA (Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms) questioned the NBI agent who was sitting alone with the GSIS green guard,” Ms. Castro told the forum in Filipino.
“The NBI operatives introduced themselves and when they revealed who they were, Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca immediately fired and as a result, the NBI agent was forced to fire a warning shot,” he added.
Mr. Matibag said that after the shooting, a series of gunshots came from OSAA.
“Our NBI agent left the place and ran. He was accompanied by a green bodyguard, so they both left. But I arrested him so that we can bring his guns to the NBI and him so that the PNP can conduct a proper investigation,” he said in the same forum in Filipino.
Under the direction of Justice Secretary Frederick A. Vida, Mr. Matibag said the NBI did not plan to go to Mr. dela Rosa even if he is in the GSIS area because of the ongoing case in the Supreme Court.
Earlier, the lawyer asked the high court to block any attempts to extradite him to The Hague. The Supreme Court on Wednesday gave the Philippine government three days to respond to Mr. dela Rosa.
“Although there is no temporary ban, in the opinion of lawyers such as 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 decision on this, so we should not act against the direction of the court,” said Mr. Matibag in Filipino.
Police Chief Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr.
Mr. Nartatez confirmed that the police will not treat Mr. dela Rosa, a former police chief, in a special way.
The police are using all necessary resources to speed up the investigation and solve the incident, added their chief.
NO SPACE FOR VIOLENCE
In a press release sent to journalists via Viber, Acting Senate Majority Leader Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva said violence has no place in democracy.
“The events that happened in the Senate earlier are worrying, especially that the exchange of gunfire happened a few meters away from where the senators were holding a meeting,” said Mr.
Meanwhile, Senator Ana Theresia N. Hontiveros-Baraquel explained in a statement that those in the small group went home as the meeting was postponed, and urged the public not to politicize the shooting incident.
Mrs. Hontiveros, one of the sponsors of the Decision of the Team No.
“To avoid future violence and discord inside and outside the Senate, Senator dela Rosa should submit and cooperate with law enforcement regarding his warrant,” he said.
Senator Paolo Benigno A. Aquino IV also filed Resolution No. 397 on Thursday demanding an investigation into the shooting incident, aimed at strengthening security protocols.
Meanwhile, Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, whose father is facing the ICC case, said Mr. Udela Rosa’s constitutional rights will be violated if the government hands him over to the court.
Mrs. Duterte said the rights of Mr. dela Rosa as a defendant under the Bill of Rights and protected by the Constitution will be beaten if the government hands him over to the ICC.
He said foreign courts do not have jurisdiction in the Philippines, adding that their judgments cannot be enforced locally unless domestic courts issue corresponding orders.
“Because if you say it is possible in the Law of the Republic, that would be violating the rights of the defendants in our charter of rights protected by our Constitution,” he told fans in The Hague, Netherlands, in Filipino.
“That means Senator Bato dela Rosa’s rights have been violated,” he added, according to a document from his office.
‘DEAD CAT’ STRATEGIES
Hansley A. Juliano, who teaches political science at Ateneo de Manila University, said Wednesday evening’s demonstration is part of the Duterte camp’s “dead cat” strategy to create chaos and noise to disrupt important policy accountability.
“Unfortunately, Mr. Marcos and the opposition, especially with the rest of the policy beds, continue to be caught unprepared for the level of disrespect the Duterte camp has for institutions and norms, if only to save their stories to be sold on their controlled platforms,” he said via Facebook Messenger.
Developments regarding the return of Mr. dela Rosa in the Senate after a long absence exposed serious weaknesses in the Department of Interior and Local Government, the PNP and the OSAA, Mr. Juliano added.
Mrs. Duterte, who was impeached by the House of Representatives earlier this week, will face the Senate for impeachment.
The return of Mr. dela Rosa in court last Monday is believed to be a ploy to elect a new Senate president, which is widely seen as favoring the Duterte camp.
If the Senate convicts Ms. Duterte, she will be permanently barred from holding public office, hurting the president’s hopes. – with Reuters
