Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV announced on Thursday that Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa and four other former high-ranking police officials have been identified as suspects in the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation into the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
Trillanes posted on X (formerly Twitter) a purported redacted copy of an order from the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor (OTP), naming Dela Rosa and others in the case against former President Rodrigo Duterte. Dela Rosa, a former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, was named alongside:
- Former PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde
- Former Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Chief Romeo Caramat Jr.
- Former National Police Commission Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo
- Former PNP Intelligence Officer Eleazar Mata
“The OTP has reasonable grounds to believe that the following retired and serving members of the PNP have committed crimes within the jurisdiction of the OTP,” the order in Trillanes’ post read.
The OTP Public Information Unit declined to comment on the document’s authenticity, emphasizing the importance of confidentiality. “The Office does not provide comment on any statements made by governments or other state representatives and is unable to verify or authenticate any documents shared by outside sources,” it stated in an email to GMA Integrated News.
Trillanes’ camp claimed the document came from “sources privy to the ICC investigation.” GMA News Online sought comments from the former PNP officials mentioned, but they have yet to respond.
Dela Rosa dismissed Trillanes’ post, stating, “My name [has] always [been] mentioned since 2016. Seems like a broken record that keeps on repeating the same lines.”
Official Communication
Justice spokesperson Mico Clavano said the Department of Justice (DOJ) would only consider official communication from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). “However, any communication from DFA regarding the ICC will most likely be accompanied by a request to keep the information confidential,” Clavano noted.
Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra, when asked if his office had received any information, mentioned that the document was marked “confidential.”
Government records indicate around 6,200 individuals were killed during anti-drug police operations, although human rights organizations estimate the number could be as high as 30,000 due to unreported related killings.
In 2019, under Duterte’s administration, the Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute, the treaty establishing the ICC, following the tribunal’s probe into the drug war. The ICC authorized the reopening of the inquiry in January 2023 after suspending it in November 2021. The ICC Appeals Chamber denied the government’s plea against the resumption of the inquiry in July 2023.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has stated that the government would not serve any ICC arrest warrant against Duterte and does not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction in the Philippines, considering it a threat to the country’s sovereignty.