SEN. Ronald dela Rosa yesterday expressed doubt as to the real motive of lawmakers who have asked the House of Representatives to come up with a united stand urging the Marcos administration to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) probe into the bloody drug war of the Duterte administration.
Dela Rosa said the “questionable” timing of the filing of House Resolution No. 1393 by the militant Makabayan bloc and HR No. 1477 by Rep. Bienvenido Abante of Manila and Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez (PL, 1-Rider) were made amid the continuing conflict between the lower chamber and Vice President Sara Duterte and her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte under whose administration the ICC investigation was initiated.
The resolutions, the senator noted, were filed in the midst of the House leadership’s word war with the former chief executive over the House’s decision to strip the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education of confidential funds under the proposed P5.768 trillion national budget for 2024.
The two resolutions call on the Marcos administration to cooperate with the ICC investigation into the alleged crimes against humanity committed during the violent implementation of the Duterte administration’s campaign against illegal drugs. At the time, Dela Rosa was the chief implementer of the campaign being the head of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
The House joint committees on justice and on human rights last week began tackling the House measures.
In an interview with dzBB radio, Dela Rosa said: “Yung taumbayan nagtatanong — why it took them one and a half years to realize na dapat pa-imbestigahan natin… The timing is very questionable. Kung kailan may gusot between the House of Representatives and the Dutertes, eh bakit lumalabas itong mga resolution na ito? (Our countrymen are asking — why did it take them one and a half years to realize that this must be investigated (by the ICC)? The timing is very questionable. This happened while there is a misunderstanding between the House of Representatives and the Dutertes. Why did these resolutions come out suddenly?).”
He insinuated that the congressmen were being “encouraged” to file the resolutions and use the ICC probe as a tool against the Dutertes.
“These people (congressmen) are being encouraged to file. Hindi ko sinasabi na they are directed to file. Basta they are encouraged to file kaya marami ang nag-file (I am not saying that they were ordered to file. What I am saying is that they were encouraged, that is why these resolutions were filed),” he said.
“Are they weaponizing the ICC in order to silence the Dutertes? Ganoon ang magiging tanong ng taumbayan diyan… Marami akong naririnig na ganoon (That will be the question of the people… I have heard people asking this question). I’m just re-echoing what heard. It’s not coming from me,” Dela Rosa said.
He also said: “I don’t want to state the obvious. You see the obvious, you feel the obvious. It doesn’t have to come from me. We have inter-parliamentary courtesy. I respect what they are doing but it doesn’t mean that I agree with what they are doing. It’s just respect, but it doesn’t mean that we are in agreement.”
The word war against the House and the Duterte father and daughter tandem started when the lower chamber stripped the OVP and the DepEd of their respective confidential funds amounting to P650 million (P500 million for the OVP and P150 million for DepEd) in the proposed 2024 national budget.
In defending his daughter’s request for secret funds, the elder Duterte said she needs the confidential funds to fight communists.
He likewise insinuated that it was Speaker Martin Romualdez who was behind the attacks on his daughter because the Vice President is perceived as a strong presidential contender in the next national elections.
Dela Rosa said he is banking on the statement earlier made by President Marcos that the country does not need foreign bodies to investigate the alleged crimes against humanity filed against former President Duterte and him, being the chief architect of the past administration’s war on drugs.
In reaction to the House resolutions, Marcos over the weekend said his government is considering the country’s re-entry to the ICC. The Philippines pulled out of the Rome Statute during the Duterte government after the probe into the drug campaign started.
But Dela Rosa said the President, whom he noted has previously said that he will not allow the ICC to set foot in the country, made the statement supposedly just to be “polite” to the authors of the House resolutions.
“Alangan naman sabihin niya na hindi pag-aaralan…Para paganahan din yung mga nagsusulong (It is not fitting of the President to say that the government will not study the possibility of rejoining the ICC…That [statement] is just give hope to those who have been pushing for it),” Dela Rosa said, adding he does not believe that Marcos can be swayed by his cousin Romualdez to change his mind.
“Hindi porke pinsan ng Pangulo ang Speaker ay susunod na lang siya. Otherwise, there is no check and balance, there is no separation of power kung ganyan tayo palagi (I don’t think that the President will agree with the Speaker just because they are cousins. Otherwise, there will be no check and balance, there is no separation of power if we are like that),” he said.
“Kahit anong impluwensiya gagawin niyo dyan, mahigpit ang paniniwala ko kay President Bongbong Marcos na he is on the right track. He has his own decision, hindi siya magpapadala kung sa sinu-sino man ang bubulong sa kanya na ganito, na ganoon (I have strong faith in President Marcos even if you try to influence him. He is on the right track. He has his own decision, he cannot be swayed by anyone),” he added.
