Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa is not hiding despite talks of a supposed International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him, according to his legal counsel, Atty. Israelito Torreon.
In a radio interview on Wednesday, November 19, Torreon dismissed claims that the senator had gone into hiding, stressing that dela Rosa’s love for the Philippines makes such speculation unfounded.
“Sa tingin ko, I am not Senator dela Rosa, abogado niya ako. I do not read his mind. In all probability hindi lalabas ng bansa ‘yun. Mahal na mahal niya ang bansa nating Pilipinas kaya nga nag Chief PNP yun,” Torreon said.
The Supreme Court earlier junked Dela Rosa’s urgent motion asking Ombudsman Boying Remulla to release the alleged ICC arrest warrant against him.
Torreon added that dela Rosa’s track record speaks for itself: “You can see his record as an excellent public officer. I don’t think iiwan n’ya ang Pilipinas.”
Dela Rosa’s name has circulated as one of the individuals allegedly next in line for arrest by the ICC following the detention of former President Rodrigo Duterte over the bloody anti-drug campaign.
Duterte is currently detained at the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague, Netherlands, facing cases related to crimes against humanity.