Dela Rosa insists: 'Hindi ako magpapahuli, hindi ako sasama'

Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa on Saturday reiterated that he will not surrender in case an arrest warrant is issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

"Hypothetical? Hindi ako magpahuli. Hindi ako sasama," said Dela Rosa in a radio interview.

He also maintained that he will not flee the country.

"Hindi ako lalabas sa aking comfort zone. My comfort zone sa Philippines. Bakit ako pupunta sa ibang bansa? Dito ako sa Pilipinas. Dito ako pinanganak. Dito ako mamamatay sa bansa kung sinilangan," he said.

Dela Rosa's statement comes on the heels of the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte who is facing allegations of crimes against humanity for the drug war deaths.

Dela Rosa was the chief of the Philippine National Police when Duterte launched his deadly war on drugs in 2016.

The ICC has identified nine co-perpetrators in the arrest warrant served against Duterte, but the names of these nine were redacted. Dela Rosa's name, however, was mentioned in the same arrest warrant.

Injustice?

Asked about Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro's criticisms about his plan not to surrender, Dela Rosa explained that his decision was due to the supposed "injustice" in Duterte's arrest.

"If you see injustice happening around, are you still going to surrender yourself to the authority?" he asked.

"Oo, hindi nakabubuti yung gagawin ko. Pero yung ginagawa nila, nakakabuti ba yun sa ating bansa? Yung hinuli nila at dinala si Pangulong Duterte doon sa The Hague, nakakabuti ba yun sa ating bansa?," he added.

The former police chief also again criticized Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief Police Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III who led the arrest of Duterte.

"Si General Torre ay lasing sa kapangyarihan. Kung makaasta akala mo, wala nang katapusan yung kanyang power. Sige lang, nothing is forever dito sa mundo."

It was Torre who read the Miranda Rights to Duterte when he was placed in the custody of authorities. Torre had denied claims that Duterte was deprived of his needs when he was taken into custody at the Villamor Air Base.

"There's no deprivation of legal counsel, 'yung medicine niya, food niya, wala po 'yun. Naibigay po natin lahat ng 'yun,'' Torre previously said.

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, in a statement, said Duterte should have been allowed to discuss with his lawyers and prepare his defense before he was flown out of the country.

“Moving forward, we need to be very clear on how we handle situations like this - balancing our international commitments with protecting the rights of any Filipino facing an international case,” Zubiri added. —Sherylin Untalan and Jiselle Anne Casucian/ VAL/VBL, GMA Integrated News