The political landscape in the Philippines has seen major developments involving the Duterte family and their closest allies. One of these is the sudden appearance of Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa in the Senate after six months of hiding. His return coincided with a leadership reorganization that ousted Senator Vicente "Tito" Sotto III and replaced him with Senator Alan Peter Cayetano—a move reportedly pushed by Duterte allies. Dela Rosa, who is said to have an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC), declared he would not surrender despite calls from the NBI and his minority bloc colleagues. His earlier courage to "join Duterte in prison" has vanished.
When asked about his earlier statement that he was ready to accompany former President Rodrigo Duterte to prison in The Hague, Netherlands—as a co-respondent in crimes against humanity case—Dela Rosa admitted he had changed his mind because there is no guarantee they would be in the same cell.
Bato is not the only one who should be worried. According to former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, the next ICC target is Senator Bong Go. The allegations against him—as the reward giver for killings and leader of the so-called "Special Operations Group"—are heavy accusations that require a proper court response.
While former President Rodrigo Duterte has hired top-notch lawyer Peter Haynes, known for acquitting an official with a similar case before, the public cannot help but worry about another aspect of the government. Due to the intense focus on the ICC issue and the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte in the House of Representatives, other serious issues have been overshadowed. One of these is the anomaly in flood control projects.
Fortunately, Senator Panfilo Lacson has vowed that the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigation will not die despite the leadership change. We must remember that while political giants fight and while they evade warrants from outside the country, the people's money lost to corruption should not be forgotten.
