Negotiations Underway with Alleged Protectors of Sen. Dela Rosa Amid ICC Warrant

MANILA, Philippines — Negotiations are underway with the alleged protectors of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who is reportedly evading an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant, according to Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla. “We know where he is, but there are negotiations now with his protectors and I think we’ll get to him soon,” Remulla said in an interview on One News’ Storycon program on Tuesday. “I cannot really talk at length about it, but he’s being protected by very powerful people.” READ: NBI receives ‘many leads’ on Dela Rosa’s whereabouts The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) have been searching for dela Rosa since last May to serve an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for his arrest over his alleged involvement in former President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody drug war. Dela Rosa was last seen leaving the Senate premises and supposedly getting off in Makati City in the early hours of May 14, shortly after a shooting incident in the chamber. Remulla justified the supposed negotiations, saying, “We don’t want casualties involved. That’s number one. They have to surrender peacefully.” “And we will use all the levers of the government to get him out of his hiding, using all the economic and military levers that we have in order to force him out,” he stressed. The DILG chief further noted that the PNP was working to take custody of a total of 117 firearms registered to dela Rosa. At least 26 firearms had been surrendered by the senator’s camp since last June. This came after the PNP Firearms and Explosives Office revoked dela dela Rosa’s firearms license and gun registrations as part of the government’s bid to locate him. In a statement on Tuesday night, dela Rosa’s legal counsel, Israelito Torreon, said he had no personal knowledge of the “protectors” Remulla alleged. “What we do know is that Senator dela Rosa is a deeply prayerful man who places his faith in Almighty God, his one and only Protector,” Torreon said. He also said that Remulla’s concern of casualties was “unfortunate.” “Words of this nature, particularly when coming from the head of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, carry enormous weight and may understandably cause apprehension among the Senator’s family, supporters, and the Filipino public,” Torreon added. /mcm