Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano said this, defending Senator Bato Dela Rosa.
Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano recently blasted the government for not giving Bato Dela Rosa assurance that he will be protected.
A couple of weeks ago, buzz about the alleged
arrest warrant of Senator Bato Dela Rosa
surfaced. Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla said on November 8 that there’s already an International Criminal Court warrant out against Senator Bato dela Rosa.
There’s a possibility the former Philippine National Police chief could be arrested and brought to The Hague, the Netherlands. If this happens, he would be detained with his former boss,
former President Rodrigo Duterte, who was arrested last March
However, the ICC arrest warrant remained unconfirmed. Despite this, Dela Rosa has been in hiding for a while now.
Recently, as Bato continues to hide, Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano came to his defense, lambasting the government. Cayetano questioned why the administration has not assured the senator that his rights will be protected amid the reported possibility of an arrest.
He raised this matter during an interview on Tuesday after he was asked what the minority bloc would do over the continued absence of Bato, who continues to hide. According to him, with the threats to his life and liberty, Bato was left with no choice but to hide. The minority bloc is siding with him, considering the current state of the country’s justice system.
“The justice system in our country is very important, and the courts have jurisdiction. If your life and liberty were threatened, what options would you take? This is my personal view. We have not yet discussed this within the minority bloc,”
said Cayetano, and added,
“The government should assure Sen. Bato that there is a proper process.”
He even went on, asking,
“Why is there no assurance that his rights will be protected?”