Guevarra to Bato on cancellation of US visa: ‘Just have to try and try’

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa will just have to “try and try” applying for a US visa, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Thursday.

The Justice Chief said prohibiting the entry of certain individuals into a particular country — in this case, the United States — is their prerogative.

He said the US government does not even have to explain why they refused Senator Dela Rosa from entering their country.

“As I have said many times before, it is the absolute prerogative of any sovereign state to determine who may enter its territory, and it does not have to offer any explanation as to its action,” Guevarra said.

“Like any other ordinary Filipino citizen who wants to visit the US, Senator Dela Rosa will just have to try and try,” he added.

The US did not provide any explanation for the cancellation of Dela Rosa’s visa but the senator believed that it had something to do with the alleged extra-judicial killings (EJK) during his stint as head of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

The US Senate Resolution 142, authored by US Senator Edward Markey, called on President Donald Trump to impose sanctions against Philippine officials pursuant to the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.

The Magnitsky Act allows the US government to impose sanctions on foreign investment officials implicated in human rights abuses in any part of the world.