MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Wednesday said he is still in the country but refused to disclose his exact location.
In a phone patch interview with reporters on Wednesday, dela Rosa was asked about his whereabouts.
At first, he declined to answer, dismissing the question by merely saying that his location was secret.
He later on admitted that he’s still in the Philippines.
“Dito lang ako. Dito lang sa Pilipinas. Secret tayo. Bakit tayo [aalis] sa Pilipinas?” he said without disclosing further details.
(I am here in the Philippines. It’s a secret. Why would I leave the Philippines?)
The senator earlier refuted allegations that he was hiding from authorities following the arrest of his ally, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is accused of crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands.
“Hindi ako nagtatago. Nandito lang ako (I am not hiding. I am just here),” said dela Rosa then.
At that time, he said he was campaigning in the mountains of Surigao and Agusan.
Atty. Kristina Conti, an International Criminal Court assistant to counsel, earlier told INQUIRER.net that dela Rosa and another former national police chief, Oscar Albayalde, could be the next to receive arrest warrants from the ICC for crimes against humanity over their roles in the previous administration’s drug war.
