Tolentino still open to giving Bato legal advice amid talks of ICC arrest

TRECE MARTIRES, Cavite — Senator Francis Tolentino said Friday he is still open to giving Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa legal advice amid talks of International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against his former party-mate.

Tolentino issued his remark when asked at a press conference here about his 2023 statement on accepting Dela Rosa’s request to represent him in all proceedings related to the ICC.

The agreement between Dela Rosa and Tolentino was made when they were still party-mates in PDP-Laban—the party chaired by former President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Nabanggit ko yan dalawang taon, tatlong taon na nakaraan pero may mga lumabas na statements last year na diumano ay pinalitan na ako ni Senator Bato ... parang ang kinuha na niyang abogado ay si Attorney Harry Roque,” Tolentino said.

(I mentioned that about two or three years ago but there were statements last year that I was reportedly replaced by Senator Bato with Attorney Harry Roque.)

“Although sa pangyayari ngayon ay hindi pa rin kami ulit nagkakausap kahit sa text ni Senator Dela Rosa. Subalit kung siya ay kukuha ng personal kong legal advice ay nananatili namang bukas po ‘yung aking cellphone sa kanyang tawag pero wala pa ho akong natatawag kahit isang segundo sa kanya simula po nangyari ‘yung March 11,” he added, referring to the arrest of Duterte.

(We haven’t communicated yet, even through text messages. But if he sill ask for my personal legal advice, my lines will be still open for him. So far, I haven’t received any communications from him since the events that transpired last March 11.)

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Tolentino and Dela Rosa are both seeking to be reelected as senators in this year’s midterm polls.

Dela Rosa earlier described himself as the number two accused in the ICC case related to the bloody drug war of the Duterte administration.

Tolentino is now allied with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. He left PDP in August last year over differences on the West Philippine Sea issue.

Dela Rosa earlier hinted on hiding and not surrendering in the event a warrant of arrest is issued against him by the International Criminal Court.

During Duterte’s term in 2019, the Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute or the treaty that established the ICC, after the tribunal started a probe into his drug war.

According to the arrest warrant, the ICC pre-trial chamber found reasonable grounds to believe he was "individually responsible for the crimes against humanity of murder" in connection with the killings blamed on his war on drugs.

It stated that the Duterte Death Squad (DDS) and Philippine law enforcement personnel under his leadership targeted persons allegedly involved in drug-related criminal activities.

Government records show that there were at least 6,200 drug suspects killed in police operations from June 2016 to November 2021, but several human rights groups have refuted this and say that the number may have reached as much as 30,000 due to unreported related killings. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News

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