ICC-accredited lawyer Gilbert Andres has urged Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa to surrender to the International Criminal Court (ICC) if an arrest warrant has indeed been issued against him.
“I’d like to make a call and a challenge to Senator Bato dela Rosa to actually surrender himself to the ICC if there’s an arrest warrant,” Andres said in an interview.
His statement followed Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla’s claim that he received an unofficial copy of an ICC warrant for dela Rosa, one of the key figures behind former President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign.
Andres clarified that surrender—not extradition—is the proper legal process, explaining, “The ICC is not a state. Therefore, the rules of the Supreme Court will not apply. So if it will not apply, then it’s surrender that will apply as a mode.”
He cited Section 17 of Republic Act 9851, which allows the government to surrender individuals to international tribunals, saying it is the President’s authority to do so.
“If the Philippines will actually be consistent with its state practice, it will also surrender anyone, any suspect that has an ICC arrest warrant issued against him or her,” he said, recalling the government’s earlier surrender of former President Duterte.
Andres also noted that dela Rosa had previously declared willingness to go to The Hague.
“It’s also consistent with what he declared after Mr. Duterte was arrested, that he is ready and willing to go to The Hague,” he said.