Torre: PNP has plans if ICC issues arrest order for Dela Rosa
Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa (Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
New Philippine National Police chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III made the remark in response to a question on whether the PNP already has plans in place once the International Criminal Court (ICC) pushes for the arrest Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.
But obviously, we are also making contingencies where if something like that happens, this is what we will do,” Torre said at a press briefing after taking over command of the PNP in a ceremony in Camp Crame on Monday.
It’s just not proper to discuss it at the moment. It’s really something that has to be acted upon once it’s there. We’ll make decisions as they come.”
Torre was the ground commander of the police team that arrested and turned former President Rodrigo Duterte over to the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands last March.
The former president is accused of crimes against humanity for the estimated thousands of deaths during his administration’s drug war.
READ: Bato dela Rosa, Oscar Albayalde next on ICC arrest list?
ICC assistant to counsel Kristina Conti previously said former PNP chiefs Dela Rosa and Oscar Albayalde could be the next to receive warrants from the ICC also for their roles in Duterte’s bloody anti-drug campaign.
Dela Rosa was Duterte’s first PNP chief, serving from 2016 to 2018, and often tagged as the “architect” of the then-president’s war on drugs.
Dela Rosa was succeeded by Albayalde from 2018 to 2019.
