Sen. Ronald 鈥淏ato鈥� Dela Rosa, | PHOTO: Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Sen. Ronald 鈥淏ato鈥� dela Rosa is just using the Senate to shield himself from accountability for the Duterte administration鈥檚 drug war, Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel said on Friday.
After the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday, dela Rosa said he would seek protection from Senate President Francis 鈥淐hiz鈥� Escudero if the International Criminal Court (ICC) also issued an arrest warrant for him.
Duterte was arrested on Tuesday by virtue of an ICC warrant. He is facing a case at the ICC for crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the drug war. Dela Rosa was the chief of police during the drug war.
鈥淏ato dela Rosa now wants to use his position as a senator to protect him,鈥� Manuel said in Filipino at a protest at the University of the Philippines Diliman.
鈥淗e鈥檚 running for the Senate again just to hide from his crimes. He鈥檚 going to use the Senate as a shield from accountability once more,鈥� he added.
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鈥淚t鈥檚 clear to us that the bloody and fake drug war wouldn鈥檛 be possible without Rodrigo Duterte鈥檚 orders and through the actions of the police force鈥� led by Bato dela Rosa,鈥� the lawmaker also said.
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According to government data, around 6,000 people died in the war on drugs, but human rights groups estimate the death toll to be as high as 20,000. (By Keith Irish Margareth Clores, 黑料社 trainee)