DILG: Negotiations for Dela Rosa surrender necessary to avoid 10,000 deaths

MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla claimed on Tuesday that arresting Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who has been ordered arrested by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for being a coperpetrator in former President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war, could lead to 10,000 deaths.

This is reason the government is negotiating for his surrender, Remulla said at the sidelines of the 20th Asean Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime in Makati City.

Remulla told reporters he received information two months ago that Dela Rosa was being protected by an “armed” group, without giving more details.

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READ: Remulla: Negotiations underway with Bato dela Rosa’s ‘protectors’

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“We are currently initiating conversations for his turnover to the authorities. In exchange for the up to 10,000 persons who could die, I would rather negotiate than risk the lives of Filipinos here,” the secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said.

“Because you don’t always solve problems with a hammer. Sometimes, you solve things better in a more peaceful and humane way,” Remulla added.

According to him, the number of casualties could be “worse” than the Marawi siege in 2017, which killed 168 soldiers, police officers and over 900 militants.

“It can be worse because the money is so large. So, they’re willing to protect it. And it might ignite, similar to Marawi, extremist groups to take advantage of the situation,” Remula said. He did not elaborate.

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Almost there

Asked about the current stage of the negotiations for Dela Rosa’s surrender, he replied: “We’re almost there.”

He said he regretted not arresting the senator in the Senate when the latter reappeared on May 11 after six months of being in hiding following reports about the ICC arrest warrant against him.

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Dela Rosa cast the crucial 13th vote that elected Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president, replacing the incumbent at the time, Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III. The Senate then placed Dela Rosa under its custody to prevent his arrest, although he slipped out of the building on May 14 and has not been seen since.

“The only thing that stopped me was the gentleman’s agreement between the Senate and the executive, that there will be no arrest made as long as he was in their custody,” Remulla said, adding: “It turned out it’s pointless to talk to the people there.”

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Dela Rosa, the Philippine National Police chief from 2016 to 2018, was one of the chief implementers of the drug war that left thousands dead. /cb