The Philippine Supreme Court yesterday rejected a bid by Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa for a temporary restraining order to prevent his arrest and transfer to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
On May 11, the ICC unsealed a warrant for Dela Rosa’s arrest, charging him with crimes against humanity for his role in leading former President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody “war on drugs” campaign. Dela Rosa subsequently fled into his office in the Senate, before slipping out of the building before dawn on May 14.
The senator, whose current whereabouts are unknown, also filed three petitions to the Supreme Court, requesting that it stop authorities from arresting him and surrendering him to The Hague-based court.
In a 9-5-1 ruling handed down yesterday, the Supreme Court justices denied Dela Rosa’s petition for a temporary restraining order and status quo ante order, the court said in a statement. It clarified that the judges “only decided on the prayers for interim relief. The main issues raised by the parties in their pleadings and motions are yet to be resolved in the main case.” It added that the Supreme Court would release its full resolution, as well as the concurring and dissenting opinions of the 15 justices, on May 25.
