Border alert: Dela Rosa faces ‘conditional arrest’ if he flees – DOJ

MANILA, Philippines—While Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida respects Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s rights as a sitting senator, he issued a stern warning against any attempt by the lawmaker to flee the country.

“If Senator Bato dela Rosa tries to leave the country, the appropriate arrest should be made,” Vida said.

The secretary said specific orders have been issued to law enforcement agents and border control authorities.

Vida categorized any attempt to leave the country as “macro justice” and a “mockery” of the local legal system.

“We respect the jurisdiction, the pending case in the Supreme Court… We ventilate all the issues first with the Supreme Court, being the final arbiter of all these legal issues,” he explained.

“Second, we respect the sensitivities of the Senate as a co-equal branch,” he stressed.

“There is no order for manhunt, but any attempt to leave the country of the Philippines, we will treat that as an attempt to put a mockery in the justice system of the Philippines,” he noted.

“So, basically, the arrest is conditional,” he said.

For now, Vida disclosed that dela Rosa has been placed in the Bureau of Immigration’s Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO).

An ILBO is different from a court-issued hold departure order (HDO) since the former only directs the Bureau of Immigration to be on the lookout for the subject, and to verify the status of a case against the subject person.

It does not restrict an individual from leaving the country.

Vida confirmed that there is an arrest warrant against dela Rosa from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“We will definitely submit to the request of the ICC,” Vida said but for now, adding that they are trying to hear the side of dela Rosa. /apl