Senate President questions gov't plan to negotiate with armed group 'guarding' Senator Dela Rosa

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian on Wednesday questioned the government’s plan to negotiate with an unauthorized armed group reportedly protecting Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa in Mindanao, warning that authorities should not bargain with individuals carrying unlicensed weapons.

Gatchalian made the remarks after Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla disclosed that authorities were seeking to negotiate with an unidentified group for Dela Rosa’s turnover to avert potential bloodshed.

“Kung armed group ito, hindi naman sila authorized na magkaroon ng armas. Dapat hindi tayo nakikipag-negotiate sa kanila dahil hindi naman sila pwedeng mas armado pa kumpara sa gobyerno,” Gatchalian told reporters in an ambush interview.

(Translation: "If this is an armed group, they are not authorized to carry weapons. We shouldn't negotiate with them because they shouldn't be better armed than the government.")

“I don't know the details of this group. But my initial thought is that if they are armed, they are not authorized to carry weapons because only the government can authorize them. We should not be negotiating with this group,” he added.

Despite his reservations, Gatchalian acknowledged Remulla’s position, saying he leaves it to the interior chief to determine the appropriate course of action.

Remulla previously stated that the government chose negotiations to resolve the standoff peacefully, warning that a forceful entry could trigger massive casualties.

“In exchange for up to 10,000 potential deaths, I would rather negotiate first than cost the lives of Filipinos in this,” Remulla said. However, the DILG chief did not elaborate on how authorities arrived at that casualty estimate.

Asked whether he would echo Malacañang’s call for Dela Rosa to surrender and face the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), Gatchalian stopped short of a direct endorsement, emphasizing only that the process must remain as peaceful as possible.

-Paraluman News