Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said on Tuesday that he should have arrested Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa when the latter resurfaced at the Senate in May.
During a press briefing, Remulla said a “gentleman’s agreement” between the Senate and the executive branch had prevented him from arresting the senator at the time.
“I should have arrested him then,” Remulla said in a press briefing.
“Ang pumigil lang naman sa akin yung gentleman's agreement ng Senate at ng Executive na there will be no arrest made as long as it's in their custody. So we were expecting na gentleman yung may custody sa kanila. In effect, hindi pala gentleman,” he added.
Remulla said the breakdown of that agreement prompted him to disregard the same protocol during the subsequent arrest of suspended senator Jinggoy Estrada.
“I know. It’s my fault. Dapat di ko na sinunod yung protocol. Pero, gentleman ako eh. Sumusunod sa agreement. Nung binali nila yung usapan, balewala na rin sa akin ‘yun. We were expecting na gentleman yung may custody sa kanila. In effect, hindi pala gentleman,” Remulla said. “Balewala din palang kausap yung mga tao doon.”
He said the wanted senator was last monitored in Mindanao and is being protected by an armed group.
“He is in Mindanao. He is under the protection of a group. We are currently initiating conversations for his turnover to the authorities,” Remulla said.
Dela Rosa is wanted under an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant.
Remulla said the government was seeking a peaceful turnover because an operation to arrest the senator could trigger a violent confrontation.
He claimed that as many as 10,000 people could die if authorities tried to arrest Dela Rosa now.
He said he would rather negotiate first than risk Filipino lives.
“You don’t always solve problems with a hammer. Sometimes you solve things better in a more peaceful and humane way,” Remulla said.
The DILG chief described the group protecting Dela Rosa as armed and warned that extremist groups could exploit any confrontation, potentially triggering unrest similar to the Marawi siege.
He also claimed that substantial money was involved in protecting the senator, but did not identify the group or provide details about the funds.
Remulla said authorities were trying to prevent other groups from taking advantage of the situation and destabilizing the region.
“So we have to handle this delicately,” he said.
