PNP: Dela Rosa to be arrested if he resurfaces for impeachment trial

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday said that if Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa resurfaced anew for the Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, the law enforcement agency would arrest him.

“We are mandated to effect the arrest of Senator Bato,” PNP public information chief Col. Allen Rae Co noted in a press briefing in Camp Crame.

“If he will be appearing therein, our police force will arrest him,” he stressed.

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READ: PNP heightens security monitoring for Sara Duterte impeachment trial

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The Department of Justice earlier ordered the PNP and the National Bureau of Investigation to implement the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant against dela Rosa for his alleged participation in former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.

Dela Rosa previously resurfaced after a six-month-long absence last May 11 as part of the bid to oust then-Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and replace him with Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano.

Dela Rosa returned to hiding after leaving the Senate in the early hours of May 14, allegedly hitching a ride with Sen. Robin Padilla, alighting in Makati City and not saying where he was going next.

Meanwhile, Vice President Duterte is set to stand trial before the Senate as an impeachment court starting July 6 to face allegations of misusing public funds, amassing unexplained wealth, bribing public officials and threatening the life of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

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“We will be deploying an appropriate number of personnel to ensure the peaceful conduct of the impeachment trial,” Co said without immediately releasing data on the PNP’s deployment.

“We’ve also closely coordinated with the Senate and other concerned government agencies to ensure there would be no disruptions,” he added.

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Co noted that no threat to the proceedings has been verified yet by the police force.

He added that some PNP Police Security and Protection Group personnel are already detailed with the Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms as part of their regular deployment. /mr

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