ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs
Karmina Constantino presses Bato Dela Rosa on ICC arrest fears
The Duterte-allied senator says he went into hiding because his “liberty is under threat.”
In another testy exchange between ANC anchor Karmina Constantino and Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, the senator openly admitted that he went into hiding amid fears of a possible arrest by the International Criminal Court or ICC.
The interview came just two days after Dela Rosa’s surprising return to the Senate, during which a dramatic shakeup took place in the leadership of the upper chamber, where Duterte-allied senators voted to install Senator Alan Peter Cayetano as the new Senate president, replacing Senator Tito Sotto.
Constantino began the interview by recalling a previous conversation she had with Dela Rosa, where the senator denied that he went into hiding right after the authorities nabbed former President Rodrigo Duterte.
“Senator, ’nung huli ho tayong nag-usap, tinanong ko kayo kung nagtatago kayo. Ang sabi niyo po hindi. And then what followed was months on end of you not appearing before the Senate. Can you confirm to us that you were indeed hiding all these six months?” she asked.
Dela Rosa responded, “Kung hindi niyo ako nakikita, so nagtatago ako. Kung nakikita niyo ako, hindi ako nagtatago, diba? So six months na hindi niyo ako nakita, six months ago na nagtatago.”
The Dateline Philippines anchor then asked him directly why he chose to hide, to which the senator said it was “because my liberty is under threat.”
The ICC confirmed on Monday that an arrest warrant has already been issued in connection with Dela Rosa’s involvement in the Duterte administration’s bloody anti-drug campaign. In a statement, the ICC said it is now up to Philippine authorities “to arrest and surrender” the senator to the tribunal.
The interview grew more confrontational when Constantino pointed out that the issue could end if Dela Rosa chose to surrender voluntarily, echoing calls made by some of his colleagues in the Senate, as well as his critics.
“Senator, all this will end if you just choose to surrender voluntarily. Why isn’t that an option for you?” Constantino asked.
Dela Rosa maintained that he still intends to pursue all available legal remedies before considering surrender.
“Karmina, meron pa tayong mga available na legal remedies. Huwag kang masyadong atat na atat. Hintayin mo muna na matapos ko itong lahat na legal remedies at pagkatapos niyan, tingnan natin,” he said.
Constantino then questioned whether he planned to continue exhausting those remedies while remaining inside the Senate complex under so-called “protective custody.”
Dela Rosa rejected the characterization that he was hiding inside the Senate.
“Oh bakit ba ako nagtatago ba dito sa Senado? I’m under custody, protective custody ng Senado. Anong sinasabi mong nagtatago? Kung nagtatago ako hindi mo ako maiinterview ngayon,” he said.
Watch the video below: