Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa faces arrest at the border should he attempt to leave the Philippines.
This after Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida confirmed Friday, May 15, that he has already signed and issued an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO) against the senator and directed border authorities to arrest him on sight if he tries to flee.
“The Department of Justice will treat any attempt of Senator Bato dela Rosa to leave the country as a mockery of justice,” Vida said during a press conference.
Vida said specific orders have been given to law enforcement agents and border control authorities to make the appropriate arrest should dela Rosa attempt to leave the country.
“I’m giving specific orders to law enforcement agents and our border control authorities that if Senator Bato dela Rosa tries to leave the country, the appropriate arrest should be made,” he said.
“We will treat any attempt to leave the Philippines as an attempt to put a mockery on the justice system of the Philippines. So basically, the arrest is conditional,” Vida said.
Vida confirmed on the record that there is a valid arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) against dela Rosa, and that the ICC’s pending request to serve it has been duly received by the Philippines through the Philippine Center for Transnational Crime.
“I confirm that there is a valid ICC arrest warrant, and the pending request from the ICC to serve the same has been duly received by the Philippines,” he said.
The Justice Secretary said the DOJ respects the Senate as a co-equal branch of government and acknowledges the legal issues pending before the Supreme Court—but made clear that dela Rosa’s attempt to leave the country would trigger an entirely different set of consequences.
“‘Pag lalabas siya, teka, ibang usapan na ‘yan,” Vida said, noting that the ICC arrest warrant will be served upon him should he attempt to flee.
Vida said the DOJ expects the Senate to turn dela Rosa over to the department once all legal issues before the Supreme Court are resolved, noting that the Senate’s protective custody of the senator has since been lifted following his departure from the Senate premises.
“The executive department, through the Department of Justice, expects nothing less that upon resolution of all legal issues, the appropriate turnover will be made to the Department of Justice for his arrest,” he said.
The Justice Secretary also disclosed that the government has information on dela Rosa’s current whereabouts, stopping short of a full confirmation but signaling that authorities are tracking the senator.
“There are units and actionable information that is available to the Republic,” Vida said, adding that there is “information available to us to determine where he is.”
Vida extended an offer to dela Rosa to place himself under DOJ protective custody as an alternative, saying the department would make arrangements to protect his rights as a sitting senator.
“Kung gugustuhin ni Senator Bato dela Rosa to be under the protective custody of the DOJ, the DOJ would be more than willing to make arrangements with him,” he said.
