Dela Rosa airs view on ICC’s reported talks with cops on drug war

Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa (Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB)

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Friday said he feels sorry for government officials being forced to allegedly “cooperate” with the International Criminal Court (ICC) probe into the war on drugs of the Duterte administration.

Dela Rosa, who served as the first Philippine National Police chief of the Duterte administration, made the remark after former senator Antonio Trillanes IV’s recently claimed that ICC investigators have talked to over 50 former and active police officers about the war on drugs of the previous administration.

“I don’t know kung saan galing ni Trillanes yung kanyang impormasyon e mabuti siya – hindi siya government official, hindi siya makakasuhan. Kawawa yung mga tao na pinipilit niya na mag cooperate. Kung meron siyang mga kinakausap na mga tao ay [magkakakaso] yun,” said dela Rosa in a phone patch interview on Friday. 

(I don’t know where Trillanes got his information. Good for him, he’s not a government official, he wouldn’t face charges. I pity those people he’s forcing to cooperate. If he’s talking to people [in terms of cooperating] then those people may face charges.)

Echoing the Department of Justice’s earlier pronouncement, dela Rosa said government officials communicating with ICC are “going against government policy of non-cooperation as far as ICC is concerned.”

 In the same interview, the senator said no ICC investigators have contacted him, further claiming that Trillanes’ recent claims are mere fabrication. 

“E hindi tayo kinakausap dahil wala naman talaga silang kinakausap. Si Trillanes lang naman ang nagsasabi nyan,” he said.

(We are not being contacted because they are, in fact, not talking to anyone. Only Trillanes is claiming that.)

Dela Rosa was the chief implementer of former president rodrigo Duterte’s brutal anti-drug war campaign.

He is among those mentioned in the crimes against humanity complaint before the ICC.