Bato says President assured him no ICC probers can investigate PH drug war

Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa during one of the hearings in the Senate. Senate PRIB file photo

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa said that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. had assured him that he would not let officials from the International Criminal Court (ICC) into the Philippines to investigate former President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs.

Dela Rosa, during an online interview on Thursday, revealed that Marcos made this assurance during a dinner at the Malacañan Palace.

The senator did not specify when this dinner took place, but dela Rosa admitted last November 29 that he talked to Marcos about the ICC issue during a casual dinner hosted by First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos.

“Solid as a rock ‘yung assurance na binigay sa akin ng Pangulo noong kami ay nag-dinner doon sa Malacanang. Solid as a rock. Naniniwala ako sa Pangulo. Buo ang tiwala ko sa kanya sa sinabi niya sa akin about the ICC until now. Buong buo pa rin ang aking paniniwala sa kanya na hindi niya papapasukin ang ICC,” Dela Rosa said in a statement on Wednesday.

(The assurance given to me by the President when we were at a dinner in Malacanang was solid as a rock. Solid as a rock. I believe in the President. I trust him wholeheartedly about what he said to me about the ICC until now. I trust in him wholly that he will not let the ICC in the country.)

In July 2023, Marcos said that the government was “done talking with the ICC,” but in November 2023, the President said that the government was looking into rejoining the ICC.

READ: Bongbong Marcos: Gov’t studying possible return to ICC

Dela Rosa, along with former president Rodrigo Duterte, is a respondent in the complaints filed before the ICC, for allegedly committing the crime against humanity of mass murder in implementing the war against illegal drugs.

Dela Rosa was Duterte’s first police chief when the latter assumed office in 2016, tasked to implement the drug war.

READ: Duterte, 11 others accused of crimes against humanity before ICC

Dela Rosa also said that should ICC investigators enter the country, authorities should declare them as undesirable aliens.

“I will ask the DOJ, ‘You do the right thing.’ Sobrang encroachment ‘yan sa ating sovereignty. Hindi sila in-authorize ng gobyerno natin, then nandito sila nag-conduct ng investigation. Para na tayong ginagago ng mga tao na ‘yan. They should be declared as undesirable aliens by the Bureau of Immigration at once,” he added.

READ: Bongbong Marcos: ‘That’s it; we’re done talking with ICC’

(I will ask the DOJ, “You do the right thing.” That is an excessive encroachment on our sovereignty. They are not authorized by our government, and they are here to conduct investigations as if they are making fools of us. They should be declared as undesirable aliens by the Bureau of Immigration at once.)

Prior to these statements, dela Rosa was also asked about former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s claim that ICC investigators are already in the Philippines — to which the senator responded by saying that they have no choice but to face the music if the government allowed it.

However, he clarified that such information remains unverified as it is only Roque who has released these claims.

READ: ICC probers already in PH? Dela Rosa says claims not yet validated