Bato confident ICC will see ‘the truth’

PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief Ronald “Bato” De la Rosa on Saturday said he is confident that the International Criminal Court (ICC) will ultimately see that the killings of drug suspects amid the government’s war against drugs are not state-sponsored.

De la Rosa said an ICC probe will reveal the truth behind the killings.

“They will be proven wrong,” the PNP chief said, referring to critics of the administration’s massive campaign against illegal drugs.

He maintained that it would be illogical for and uncharacteristic of the President to order the killings of Filipinos.

De la Rosa said he is willing to share police data to the ICC to aid in its probe, but would have to consult the PNP’s legal team first.

He feared that sharing data with the ICC might be a “trap” since the probe is “politically motivated.”

“Mahirap na magcommit kami nang magcommit, ‘yun pala, pinapapasok lang kami sa lungga ng anti-Duterte forces, na ‘yun naman talaga ‘yung purpose [It is hard to readily commit and find ourselves in the turf of antiDuterte forces, which is the purpose of the probe]… to bring down the Duterte (administration),” De la Rosa said.

Moreover, the sharing of police date might endanger police personnel involved in anti-illegal drug operations, according to De la Rosa.

He explained that once their names are given, they might be targeted by drug lords.

PNP Spokesperson John Bulalacao earlier said the PNP is willing to coordinate with the ICC with respect to providing data the latter needed.

However, he said the PNP would still have to wait for approval from Malacanang.

The ICC announced its plan to conduct a preliminary probe on the administration’s drug war on February 7 in response to a complaint filed before it alleging that the killings of drug suspects are state-sponsored.

Duterte welcomed the investigation, saying that he wants to be with ICC investigator in the same room so that he can defend himself.

The PNP previously said the ICC probe will not stop it from conducting anti- drug operations.

Some 65 individuals were reported dead in 4,613 police operations conducted from December 5 last year to February 14 this year, according to the PNP.