PNP: No Interpol talks yet, but ready to implement warrant vs Dela Rosa

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) said the local bureau of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has yet to coordinate with them regarding the arrest warrant against Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, but the police force is ready to implement it.

“For now… the NCB and the PCTC have yet to convene regarding the implementation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant, meaning there has yet to be a specific direct order for the PNP to arrest dela Rosa,” PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño said in Filipino in a press briefing on Tuesday.

Tuaño said this based on information from the PNP Legal Service.

The NCB is the National Central Bureau, Interpol’s local branch in the Philippines, while the PCTC is the Philippine Center for Transnational Crime, the country’s liaison to Interpol.

READ: Bato dela Rosa under Senate custody as ICC arrest looms

In an interview later on Tuesday, Tuaño said the PNP “is ready in the event that it is tapped by the NCB-PCTC to implement the ICC warrant.”

He also explained that the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group would be the unit tasked with implementing the warrant.

On Monday night (Philippine time), the ICC publicly confirmed that it had sought the arrest of dela Rosa in connection with its investigation into then-President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war.

Dela Rosa appeared at the Senate earlier on Monday after being absent for six months amid reports speculating on the issuance of an ICC warrant against him.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) led the effort to arrest dela Rosa on Monday.

Asked whether the PNP had deferred to the NBI in arresting dela Rosa, Tuaño answered, “We are not leaving it up to another agency to arrest Senator Bato dela Rosa.”

Pressed on whether the PNP hesitated to arrest dela Rosa since he was its former chief, Tuaño answered in the negative.

“We know, especially when PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. took his position, that the PNP has been professional,” he said in Filipino.

According to the PNP spokesperson, Philippine authorities may implement the warrant for dela Rosa’s arrest in two ways.

The first option, Tuaño said, is extradition.

He previously said the PNP would implement the warrant through a court order.

In the interview, Tuaño clarified that the court order would fall under the extradition option.

The second option, according to the PNP spokesperson, is direct surrender under Republic Act No. 9851, or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity.

Under the second option, the ICC would issue the warrant through Interpol, which would then coordinate with the NCB-PCTC.

The NCB-PCTC would then task the Department of Justice, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the PNP, and the NBI with implementing the directive, Tuaño explained.

“The contingency plan we have in place, once the conditions for implementing the warrant from the ICC are good to go, would then be implemented,” he added in the interview, citing Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla. /mcm