Bato surprised by seeming turnaround on ICC

MANILA, Philippines — With President Marcos hinting at allowing the country to rejoin the Rome Statute creating the International Criminal Court, Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said yesterday that like many other people, he was surprised by the executive’s softened stance on the ICC.

“If the President says categorically that he is allowing ICC to come in and make the investigation, then that’s backpedalling,” Dela Rosa said of the ICC’s resumption of its probe on the war on drugs.

“But when he says he is just ‘studying,’ maybe there are a lot of possibilities when he said ‘study,’ ” he added.

Dela Rosa said he is ready to face any eventuality – but again rejected the prospect of being investigated or prosecuted by a “foreign body” for his role as chief enforcer of the Duterte administration’s bloody campaign against drugs.

“Ready to fire, ready to speak, ready to sing, to dance,” Dela Rosa said in an interview yesterday on the sidelines of the 31st Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum at the Philippine International Convention Center.

Asked if he is ready to face an ICC probe, Dela Rosa said he is only willing to face the charges on the domestic front and be tried in Philippine courts.

“I am willing to be tried by the Filipino courts. But by a foreign body, I am not willing,” Dela Rosa said.

He said he should prepare for the outcome of the political situation under the new administration. 

“I feel I should be ready for any eventuality. The political situation in the Philippines is very fluid, so I have to be ready,” Dela Rosa said.

Marcos yesterday said he is looking at returning “under the fold of the ICC” five years after the Philippines under Duterte withdrew from the Rome Statute.

“There is also a question, should we return under the fold of the ICC, so that’s again under study. So we’ll just keep looking at it and see what our options are,” Marcos said in an interview with reporters yesterday.

Dela Rosa said he respects the executive department’s decision on whether or not to rejoin the ICC.

“The President is the chief architect of our foreign policy. So it is within his discretion to do that,” Dela Rosa said.

“I am not the only one surprised. Everybody who heard the statement was surprised. But if he said he will just ‘study’ the possibility, then it does not cause alarm to us,” he added.