Bato in Senate premises? PNP committed to serve warrant if Interpol asks

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday stressed its commitment to grant Interpol requests to serve warrants of arrest.

PNP Public Information Office chief Police Col. Randulf Tuaño thus said after Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero said Sen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa may stay in the Senate until he has exhausted all legal remedies if the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him.

“Pagdating sa procedure po ng pag-aresto ay kung maaari lang po huwag nang pag-usapan,” PNP public information office chief Police Colonel Randulf Tuaño said in a press briefing when asked about Escudero’s statement.

(When it comes to the procedure of arrest, if possible, let's not talk about it.)

“Basta ang sinasabi lang po, ang commitment po ng Pilipinas sa pagsisilbi po ng warrant kung sakaling hihilingin po ng Interpol,” he added.

(All we are saying is that the Philippines is committed to serving the warrant if requested by Interpol.)

The PNP has not monitored new arrest warrants from the ICC against the co-accused of former president Rodrigo Duterte in his crimes against humanity case in connection with the war on drugs.

Philippine authorities on March 11 assisted the Interpol in serving a warrant of arrest from the ICC against Duterte.

According to a lawyer of the families of the victims of extrajudicial killings, the ICC may issue more arrest warrants for the “co-perpetrators” of Duterte including Dela Rosa.

Dela Rosa said that he would seek protection from the Senate should a warrant of arrest be issued against him.

Escudero cited the previous cases of senators who took refuge in the Senate amid the serving of arrest warrants against them.

“Ito’y ibat-ibang sitwasyong kinaharap ng Senado kung saan may kaso laban sa kanila at ang naging pasya ng Senado ay ito. Hindi nakabase sa batas pero nakabase sa tinatawag na institutional courtes," Escudero said.

"Hindi papayagan ng Senado [na] arestuhin ang sinomang miyembro niya sa loob ng Senado lalo na kung may sesyon,” he added.

“Ang isang sinabi ko sa kanya [One thing I told him], we will try to afford him every opportunity to avail of legal remedies that he is entitled to,” Escudero said. –NB, GMA Integrated News