Sen. Dela Rosa placed under Senate protective custody

MANILA, Philippines—The Senate has placed Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa under its protective custody as he faces a possible arrest in connection with his role in the previous administration’s war on drugs.

No senator objected when Sen. Rodante Marcoleta made that motion in the Senate plenary on Monday.

“I move that Senator Bato be placed under the Senate protective custody until he is able to get all and exhaust all legal remedies to protect himself and until this institution is able to do just the same,”  Marcoleta said. 

When no one objected to it, newly elected Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano later approved Marcoleta’s motion.

It was the first time that dela Rosa showed up in the Senate since it was reported in  November last year that a warrant of arrest was issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Former Sen.  Antonio Trillanes III  brought a copy of the said ICC warrant in the Senate. 

Dela Rosa was among those tagged as co-perpetrators in the crimes against humanity case lodged against former President Rodrigo Duterte.  As Duterte’s national police chief from 2016 to 2018, dela Rosa led the drug war that left thousands of drug suspects dead. /gsg /atm