By Junex Doronio

MANILA — The Philippines is keeping its hands off if the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor will interview “suspects”, one of whom was former Philippine National Police (PNP) and now Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, accused of crimes against humanity in former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s war on drugs.

This was the stance of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) which disclosed on Tuesday (30 July 2024) that there was a letter from the ICC asking for assistance from the Philippine government for him to interview the suspects in the bloody drug war that human rights groups claimed to have killed 30,000 people.

“Meron talagang sulat na nanggaling sa prosecutor na hinihiling niya ang assistance ng Philippine government para ma-interview ng prosecutor yung limang tao na binabanggit dun sa sulat,” Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said in an interview on Teleradyo Serbisyo.

He explained that the purpose of the interview would be to get more facts about the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

“Kasi sa ngayon ang napapakinggan lang ng prosecutor ay yung sa side ng mga complainants,” he said.

It can be recalled that in a 24 Oras report on January 31, 2024, confessed Davao Death Squad (DDS) hitman former Davao Senior Police Officer Arturo “Arthur” Lascañas accused Vice President Sara Duterte of orchestrating “Oplan Tokhang” in Davao City during her stint as mayor in 2012.

“Siya (VP Sara) nga ang pasimuno nitong Oplan Tokhang nung naka-upo siya as mayor nung 2012 in-appoint nya si Bato Dela Rosa as Chief of Police ng Davao City,” Lascañas claimed.

Lascañas had submitted a 186-page affidavit to the ICC, which he said contains information on the alleged killings perpetrated by former President Duterte and the involvement of VP Sara in the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) in Davao City.

Guevarra said the interviews would be in preparation for seeking arrest warrants from the ICC’s pre-trial chamber.

“Bahala kayo kung gusto niyong mag-interview. Go ahead, pero hindi makiki-alam diyan ang Philippine government. Do not expect any cooperation from our side,” the SolGen said of the ICC request.

He pointed out that the Philippine government would not assist in arranging ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan’s interviews, noting that the country “disengaged completely from the ICC in 2019.”

The Philippine government “has no legal duty to lend any assistance to the ICC prosecutor in conducting his investigation but [it] cannot stop him from proceeding any way he wants,” Guevarra stressed.

He added that Khan “can directly interview persons of interest online, through the phone, by email, or face to face, subject to the consent of these persons but [he] cannot expect that the Philippine government will facilitate it for him.”

In 2021, the Supreme Court (SC) ruled that states are obliged to cooperate with “whatever process was already initiated before the International Criminal Court” before withdrawal.

(el Amigo/mnm)