By Benjamin Pulta
MANILA – The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday said it voted 9-5-1 to deny embattled Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s plea for a temporary restraining order (TRO) in connection with the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In a statement, the high tribunal clarified that it “only decided on the prayers for interim relief (for a TRO)” and that “the main issues raised by the parties in their pleadings and motions are yet to be resolved in the main case.”
Dela Rosa, who was the chief of the Philippine National Police during the so-called “Tokhang” war on drugs of former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte, had sought for TRO or a status quo ante order to prevent the government from arresting him on the basis of any warrant from the ICC, red notice and diffusion from the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) without a warrant from a local court.
The SC said the full resolution and the opinions of the court will be uploaded on the court’s website on May 25.
Over the weekend, the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) urged the SC to turn down Dela Rosa’s plea, saying the country is committed to international law and to holding those responsible accountable.
“The law was never intended to provide an excuse for evasion, nor to become a weapon wielded only by those with power. It exists so that even the voiceless dead, whose cries never reached a courtroom, are not forgotten by justice. No amount of technical reasoning can disguise the absence of justice,” the OSG comment read.
It said Dela Rosa’s acts of “flight and deliberate intent to evade prosecution should, thus, be taken against him, and should be considered a waiver of his right to adduce evidence and participate in the criminal case against him because a fugitive from justice loses his standing in court and is not entitled to seek relief from the courts.” (PNA)
