THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Saturday said arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) may be sent directly to law enforcement agencies.
The statement came after it was asked if it was aware about the supposed ICC warrant of arrest against Senator Ronald Dela Rosa.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs and the Philippine Embassy in The Hague have not received any warrant of arrest or related documents from the ICC, nor has any such document been uploaded in the ICC online portal,” DFA spokesperson Angelica Escalona said.
“We note that under the Rome Statute, arrest warrants, if any, can be transmitted directly to law enforcement agencies of relevant countries.”
The Philippines is no longer a state party to the Rome Statute after it officially withdrew on March 17, 2019. However, it insists that it has jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed during the period that the Philipines was a state party — Nov. 1, 2011 to March 16, 2019.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, in an interview with dzRH, said an ICC arrest warrant had already been issued for Dela Rosa.
“At this point, we do not have independent confirmation as to whether or not this information is accurate,” Dela Rosa’s counsel, Israelito Torreon, said in a statement posted on social media.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III also reiterated that no senator may be arrested within the premises of the Senate, citing institutional dignity and courtesy.
Malacañang said on Saturday that it has yet to receive an official confirmation on an ICC warrant for Dela Rosa, who was the chief of the Philippine National Police during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
In a separate statement, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said that while the ICC might have issued a warrant, it has yet to transmit it through the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) for enforcement.
“Remember that ICC might have issued, but might not have yet coursed the service through the Interpol,” he said. (PNA)
