“EXTRAORDINARY RENDITION”
Sara Duterte, who is in The Hague visiting her father, was the running mate of Marcos, but their alliance broke down and she is now fighting for her political survival, facing an impeachment trial in the Senate that could derail her run for the next presidency in 2028.
“What we are seeing now is the administration using all government resources to demolish political opposition or individuals who do not follow, agree with, or support (Marcos),” she said in comments shared by her office.
She said she had not spoken with dela Rosa since before the gunfire incident and said he was about to be the subject of extraordinary rendition, likening it to what she called her father’s illegal abduction and transfer to the ICC last year.
“That is how the world saw it then. And that is also what they are trying to do now to Senator Bato dela Rosa,” she said.
The Hague-based court unsealed an arrest warrant on Monday for dela Rosa, dated November, and he has filed an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court to block any transfer to the ICC, arguing it no longer has jurisdiction in the Philippines after the country withdrew from the court in 2018.
The court says it can investigate crimes committed prior to a country’s withdrawal.
Dela Rosa was Duterte’s top lieutenant, overseeing a fierce crackdown during which thousands of alleged drug dealers were slain, with rights groups accusing police of systematic murders and cover-ups.
Police reject that and say the more than 6,000 killed in Project Double Barrel were all armed and had resisted arrest.
Activists say the real death toll may never be known, with users and small-time peddlers gunned down daily in mysterious slumland killings that police blamed on vigilantes and turf wars.
