MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Senator Bato dela Rosa appeals to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. regarding the ICC investigation: “Be man enough.”
“Be man enough. Just tell us the real score.”
Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa urged President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to reveal whether his administration had permitted International Criminal Court (ICC) investigators to operate in the Philippines, stating these words.
“Just tell us. There’s no problem with that. There shouldn’t be hidden transactions. If you previously told me that they wouldn’t be allowed to enter, and now the air has changed and you’ve agreed, please tell us,” Dela Rosa appealed, speaking partly in Filipino, in a press conference on Monday, January 22.
“You are our President. You are our leader. Please tell us so that we know what to do,” he added.
Dela Rosa, the initial head of the Philippine National Police (PNP) under Duterte, served as the principal enforcer and purported architect of the anti-drug campaign.
The senator emphasized that the President needs to clarify the apparent inconsistency in his earlier declaration, wherein he stated that he would not permit ICC investigators to visit the country and conduct an inquiry.
“Just inform us, we are Filipinos, we are your citizens. Please don’t covertly stab us in the back. Please be man enough to tell us,” he said.
Dela Rosa stated that he would collaborate if it is confirmed that the Marcos administration has indeed granted entry to ICC investigators in the country.
“If the president said so, then we will cooperate. I’m only a citizen of this republic. I am bound by laws, so I will follow. When there is official confirmation, that is when I will believe. Why would I believe in gossip,” he said.
“I hope this government is kind enough to inform us. After all, we are citizens of this republic and we need protection from our government if we need it, right?” he added.
According to the information he received, Trillanes reported that ICC investigators arrived in the country in December 2023 and successfully conducted interviews with relevant individuals, as disclosed on GTV’s “Balitanghali” on Monday.
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