Bato fully trusts PBBM's 'solid rock' promise that ICC won't enter PHL

Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa has expressed full confidence in President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s "solid as rock" assurance that probers from the International Criminal Court (ICC) will not enter the Philippines to investigate former President Rodrigo Duterte's campaign against illegal drugs.

Dela Rosa disclosed that President Marcos has given him this affirmation during a dinner hosted by the First Couple in Malacañang in November last year.

"Solid as a rock 'yung assurance na binigay sa akin ng Pangulo noong kami ay nag-dinner doon sa Malacanang. Solid as a rock. Naniniwala ako sa Pangulo. Buo ang tiwala ko sa kanya sa sinabi niya sa akin about the ICC until now. Buong buo pa rin ang aking paniniwala sa kanya na hindi niya papapasukin ang ICC," Dela Rosa said.

The Mindanaoan Senator expressed confidence in Marcos as he stressed that any unauthorized investigation by foreign entities in the Philippines is an encroachment of the country's sovereignty.

With this, the lawmaker urged the authorities to verify and confirm the alleged entry of ICC investigators in the country and ensure that the government's position on the matter is upheld.

"The government's position should be maintained and it should be felt on the ground. Kung ang official position of the government is hindi talaga sila i-entertain at nanghihimasok sila dito, nagka-conduct ng investigation, ang sabi nga ni former Senator [Juan Ponce] Enrile, they can be arrested," he said.

If the ICC probers are conducting unauthorized investigations in the Philippines, Dela Rosa said the Department of Justice must do the right thing by declaring them as undesirable aliens and order their immediate deportation.

"I will ask the DOJ, 'You do the right thing.' Sobrang encroachment 'yan sa ating sovereignty. Hindi sila in-authorize ng gobyerno natin, then nandito sila nag-conduct ng investigation. Para na tayong ginagago ng mga tao na 'yan. They should be declared as undesirable aliens by the Bureau of Immigration at once," Dela Rosa said.

In 2022, Marcos had already given Dela Rosa a personal promise that he will defend the sovereignty of the Philippines and he will not let the ICC bully his government.

The former top cop also reiterated the questions on ICC's jurisdiction in investigating the Duterte administration's anti-illegal drug campaign and cited the dissenting opinion of the two ICC Appeals Chamber judges who voted against the resumption of the probe.

Dela Rosa echoed the opinion of the two ICC Appeals Chamber judges that the request for authorization of an investigation was filed when the Philippines was no longer a party to the Rome Statute--a treaty which created the ICC.

"Para sa akin talaga wala silang jurisdiction. 'Yung kanilang dissenting opinion ay very clear na nagsasabi na wala silang jurisdiction because the request for the pre-trial investigation and the approval from the pre-trial chamber was beyond the reglementary period," Dela Rosa said.

In November last year, President Marcos had already mentioned that the ICC investigation into his predecessor's anti-illegal drug campaign has "problems" with jurisdiction and sovereignty.