MANILA, Philippines — A group of Filipinos in the Netherlands called for the arrest of Senator Ronald Dela Rosa so that he could be brought before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In a statement sent to The Manila Times on Tuesday, Panagutin Network-Netherlands accused the Senate of coddling Dela Rosa, who was tagged as a co-conspirator of former president Rodrigo Duterte in his deadly war on drugs.
“Filipinos have witnessed the shameful actions extended by the Philippine Senate to protect and coddle Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa. The Senate’s move to extend dela Rosa protection and shield him from accountability once again exposes how the political maneuvering among rival political factions come at the expense of the Filipino people,” the group said.
“Dela Rosa, who has been absent from Senate proceedings for months, resurfaced only in time to participate in the vote installing Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate President, in a move to ensure a majority of pro-Duterte senators in the house. This blatant act of political accommodation demonstrates how institutions meant to uphold justice are instead being used to protect powerful figures implicated in grave crimes,” it added.
Dela Rosa was among senators who ousted Senate president Vicente Sotto III and installed Cayetano as the chamber’s new leader.
Get the latest news
delivered to your inbox
Sign up for The Manila Times newsletters
By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.