‘Bato’ pokes fun at ICC case

Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa. NESTOR CORRALES/INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

“There are no mass murders and there are no state-sponsored killings in the Philippines.”

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Tuesday reiterated these as he, President Rodrigo Duterte and some of his allies were slapped with a complaint for committing crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

Confident that the complaint will not prosper due to lack of evidence, Dela Rosa poked fun at the case filed by Jude Sabio, the lawyer of self-confessed Davao Death Squad hit man Edgar Matobato.

READ: Case vs Duterte filed in int’l court

In a speech before policemen at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City, Dela Rosa scoffed at the charge and jokingly said that at least if he was jailed, it would be in the The Hague, Netherlands.

“Saan ba tayo ikukulong kung lalabas ‘yung warrant? Sa The Hague so makakapag-abroad tayo. Makaabot tayo sa Europe,” Dela Rosa told the audience.

(Where will we be jailed once the warrant come out? In the Hague, meaning we’ll be able to go abroad. We’ll be able to go to Europe.)

He then said it would be idiotic for the ICC to believe in the accusations of Sabio.

READ: ICC case vs Duterte headed for garbage can — Lacson

“Napaka-gago rin ng ICC kung maniwala sila sa sinasabi ng abogado na ‘yon (It will be embarrassing for the ICC if it believes that lawyer’s accusations),” Dela Rosa said.

Dela Rosa asked the audience, composed of police officers from the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), who among them could say that there were government-sponsored killings in the country.

“Sino ba makasabi sa inyo na state-sponsored ‘yung pagpatay? Inutos ba ‘yan ng ating gobyerno?Wala, ‘di ba? (Who among you can say that the killings are state sponsored? Did the government order you to kill? No, right?)” The officers answered a resounding “no.”

In an ambush interview after the speech, Dela Rosa said he doubted that the lawyer would be able to provide enough proof that Dela Rosa and the Duterte administration were behind the killing of 8,000 drug suspects and civilians.

“Napaka-imposibleng isipin na tatanggapin ng ICC ‘yung kaso na ‘yan. Paano nila sabihin na state-sponsored at mass killing? Two requirements dyan eh—genocide at tsaka mass murder. Paano nila i-eestablish ‘yan?” he said.

(It will be impossible for the ICC to accept that case. How can they claim that there is mass killing and that these are state-sponsored? That should meet two requirements—genocide and mass murder. How can they establish that?)

In the 77-page complaint, Sabio said Dela Rosa was tagged by Matobato and SPO3 Arturo Lascañas, self-proclaimed members of Duterte’s “Davao Death Squad,”  to have participated in the operations of the hit squad when he was still the chief of Davao police.

Sabio added that now as chief of the PNP, Dela Rosa knew of the activities of the death squads killing suspected drug personalities nationwide. IDL/rga

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