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Pursued by law enforcers as he finally showed up at the Senate yesterday, Ronald dela Rosa turned to the Supreme Court, seeking protection from what he described as a “warrantless arrest.”
The Senate, now under new leadership and with a majority sympathetic to Dela Rosa, approved a motion granting him refuge in the chamber, and citing in contempt those who had tried to take him into custody.
Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who was with the National Bureau of Investigation agents who had chased Dela Rosa, said the NBI team was trying to carry out a sealed arrest order from the International Criminal Court.
Dela Rosa leads the list of people tagged by the ICC as “co-perpetrators” in the crimes against humanity case for which former president Rodrigo Duterte is detained in the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague and is expected to face trial.
Relatives of Duterte also have pending petitions before the Supreme Court, which they filed last year, challenging the validity of his turnover to the ICC by virtue of a confidential arrest order coursed through the International Criminal Police Organization.
In sending Duterte to The Hague for prosecution, Marcos administration officials have invoked Philippine commitments to the Interpol as well as provisions in Republic Act 9851, the law enacted in 2009 that defines and penalizes crimes against humanity. RA 9851 imposes life in prison for violations that lead to death. Such serious offenses are not protected by immunity from arrest while Congress is in session.
With the Senate now under virtual lockdown to protect a senator from arrest, the SC should move swiftly to resolve those questions regarding the basis for turning over Duterte and possibly his co-perpetrators to the ICC, in connection with killings carried out in his brutal crackdown on the illegal drug scourge.
Speedy action by the SC on such an urgent issue could save the nation from uncertainty and instability. Dealing with a heavy caseload should not be an excuse for slow SC action on such urgent matters.
In hospital emergency rooms, attention is not based on first come, first served. Instead, medical teams conduct triage to determine which patients need priority attention.
The Supreme Court has been making noises about moving to speed up the administration of justice. Along this line, the SC has issued guidelines to the lower courts.
It should lead by example, by conducting judicial triage and giving urgent national concerns the speedy action they deserve.
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Credit belongs to: www.philstar.com
