Former Chief Justice Sereno Speaks on Sen. Bato dela Rosa amid Former Pres. Duterte’s ICC Detention
BATO DELA ROSA
– Former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno claimed that the Senator can take all the blame in the Duterte drug war if he loves the former President so much.
Former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte remains detained under the custody of the International Criminal Court for almost 9 months now. He was arrested last March 11 by the Philippine authorities who assisted the International Criminal Police Organization or Interpol over a reported ICC arrest warrant.
Recently, the
ICC rejected the interim release plea of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte anew
The Pre-Trial Chamber erroneously found that Duterte poses a risk under Article 58(1)(b) of the Rome Statute
The Pre-Trial Chamber erred in its rejection of the guarantees proposed by the State willing to receive him
The Pre-Trial Chamber erred in law by failing to take into account humanitarian considerations in assessing the right to interim release.
The interim release appeal of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte was initially denied by the ICC last October. According to the
Duterte family, they accept the decision of the ICC on the interim release plea of the former President “with peaceful hearts”
. Meanwhile, his camp claimed that they might seek for his interim release again after the medical reports would be released.
The International Criminal Court ordered former Pres. Duterte to undergo medical examinations after his lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman, claimed that the former Chief Executive is supposedly “not fit to stand trial”. His daughter, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte, previously claimed that a third country allegedly committed to host the interim release of her father.
Several allies of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte in the Senate including Senator Bato dela Rosa called for the interim release of the former Chief Executive. The Senator who was the first national police chief during Duterte’s tenure claims he considers the former President as his second father.
However, Sen.
Bato dela Rosa is currently paid as a senator but has long been absent for almost three weeks now according to Senate Pres. Tito Sotto
. He was no show during Senate sessions since Ombudsman Boying Remulla claimed that the ICC has allegedly released an arrest warrant against the Senator.
Recently, former chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno spoke on Sen. Bato dela Rosa. Speaking in an interview with Karen Davila, she claimed that the Senator can allegedly take all the blame if he loves former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte so much.
Screengrab from YouTube/Karen Davila
“He can be a witness for, if he is credible at maganda yung paliwanag niya, the president, the former president will be free. If he loves the president so much, he should just accept all the responsibility onto himself,”
Sereno said during an
interview
Karen Davila asked the former Chief Justice if Sen. dela Rosa will do it. According to Sereno, the Senator allegedly should reflect if his duty led to the right outcome. She believes that it supposedly did not lead to the right outcome citing that illegal drugs remains a problem in the country as the threat was temporary.
Amid the reported ICC arrest warrant against him, Senate Minority Leader
Alan Peter Cayetano defended Sen. Bato dela Rosa