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Sen. Robin Padilla in this picture posted on his Facebook page on Feb. 27, 2025 (Robin Padilla via Facebook)The previous statement by Sen. Robin Padilla, a Duterte ally, about being arrested by the International Criminal Court resurfaced following the arrest of the former president on an ICC-issued warrant
A Filipino pop culture-oriented Facebook page brought up a two-year-old comment from actor-turned-lawmaker, Padilla, where he expressed support for his colleague, Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.
Dela Rosa, before entering the Senate, was the chief of the Philippine National Police under former president Rodrigo Duterte‘s administration.
The former cop was considered the architect of the bloody “War on Drugs” campaign, which is estimated by the ICC to have killed between 12,000 to 30,000 people. However, the government only acknowledged around 6,248 deaths from the initiative.
As PNP chief, Dela Rosa implemented initiatives in line with Duterte’s flagship policy such as “buy-bust” operations and “Oplan Tokhang.”
ALSO READ: ‘Thank you, ICC’: Pinoys express gratitude after Duterte’s arrest over drug war crimes
Meanwhile, the “Follow the Trend Movement” or FFTM was among those that brought up Padilla’s words about backing Dela Rosa should the latter get arrested on a warrant by the ICC.
“Throwback Tuesdayyyyyy,” the Facebook page said on Tuesday, March 11.
It posted a quote card featuring Padilla’s words and a smiling picture.
The post has amassed 86,000 laugh reactions, 11,000 shares, and 1,800 comments so far.
In March 2023, Padilla expressed his willingness to be arrested by the ICC as well.
“Kung huhulihin nila si Bato, isama niyo na ako dahil ako, isa ako sa sumuporta kay Pangulong Rodrigo Roa Duterte diyan sa drug war,” he previously told reporters.
“Walang iwanan nga, e. Sasamahan ko sila kung saan sila, tutal sanay naman tayo sa kulungan. Sa abroad pa, naku, masarap pagkain doon. Okay ‘yon,” Padilla, a former person deprived of liberty, added.
The senator was convicted of illegal possession of firearms in 1994.
Padilla made his comments about Dela Rosa when he expressed confidence that Sen. Francis Tolentino would do well as Dela Rosa’s legal counsel. Tolentino had previously confirmed accepting Dela Rosa’s request to represent him in ICC-related proceedings.
As of now, Dela Rosa has yet to comment or issue a statement following Duterte’s arrest over an ICC-issued warrant for crimes against humanity.
ALSO READ: Bato dela Rosa trends as public searches for him after Duterte’s arrest
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Padilla appealed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to use his “executive power” to take action regarding the Philippine National Police’s involvement in executing the ICC warrant against Duterte.
“My earnest plea, Mr. President, is for you to exercise your executive power to halt the operations of the PNP in following directives from a foreign entity that undermines our laws and violates our sovereignty,” the senator said in a Facebook post.
Duterte was arrested by the PNP upon his return from a Hong Kong trip.
The Palace confirmed that the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) Manila received the official copy of the arrest warrant from the ICC early Tuesday morning.
Duterte faces a case at the ICC for alleged crimes against humanity committed during his administration’s “War on Drugs” campaign.
