FORMER Davao City Police Office (DCPO) chief and Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa has accused President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. of breaking a crucial promise to the Filipino people.
Dela Rosa claimed that Marcos had assured the nation he would never cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC). However, with the recent arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte, Dela Rosa said Marcos had "betrayed Filipinos to the max," shattering the trust placed in him.
“He told me before: ‘Don’t worry, I will never cooperate with the ICC because after you, who’s next? It might be us.’ That’s what he told me,” Dela Rosa told reporters in a phone interview. He added, “Feeling betrayed. Betrayal to the max.”
Dela Rosa, Duterte’s first national police chief, is a co-accused in the ICC’s case against Duterte over alleged crimes committed during the war on drugs.
Despite Dela Rosa’s outrage, Marcos insisted he had no role in the ICC's decision to arrest Duterte, claiming the Philippines was merely fulfilling its obligations to Interpol.
"Interpol asked for help, and we obliged because we have commitments to Interpol which we have to fulfill," Marcos explained to the media shortly after Duterte's plane left for The Hague on Tuesday night. "If we don’t do that, they will no longer help us with other cases involving Filipino fugitives abroad."
Dela Rosa dismissed Marcos' explanation as a "flimsy alibi," arguing that as president, he had the authority to reject Interpol’s request, especially since the Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019 under Duterte’s leadership.
“The Interpol would understand that,” Dela Rosa said. “But they were more interested in the immediate turnover of the former president. They didn’t even present him to our local courts; they went straight ahead and transported him. They were just too eager.”
For Dela Rosa, Duterte’s swift arrest and extradition appeared to be a deliberate effort to remove him from the country, fueling distrust in both the Marcos administration and the international entities involved. DEF