Sotto on reported ICC warrant vs. Bato: Senators won't be arrested in Senate

Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III on  Saturday said the upper chamber will not allow the arrest of a senator within its premises following the International Criminal Court's reported issuance of an arrest warrant against Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa.

"I am not [privy] to the warrant being issued," Sotto said in a statement.

"But as I have said in the past and in consultation with some members of the Senate, to preserve the dignity of the Senate, and as a matter of institutional courtesy, we cannot allow any senator to be arrested in the Senate premises," the Senate president said.

Sotto, however, said that if an arrest would be conducted "outside the Senate premises, that's no longer our concern."

Early this year, Dela Rosa remarked that he would seek the Senate's protection should a warrant of arrest be issued against him.

Then-Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero also said Dela Rosa can stay within the Senate premises until all his legal remedies have been exhausted.

Meanwhile, Dela Rosa's camp said Saturday it has yet to get official information as to whether or not the International Criminal Court (ICC) has indeed issued an arrest warrant against him.

Dela Rosa's counsel Atty. Israelito Torreon called on the government to allow the rule of law to "first pass through the local judicial confirmation process" consistent with the Philippine constitution and due process.

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano called on the Senate leadership “to uphold this principle by protecting both the institution and the integrity of our laws.”

“Let us show that the Senate stands not for privilege, but for fairness — that we will uphold for our members only what we are willing to uphold for every Filipino: justice without bias, and equality before the law,” Cayetano said.

“When the law is applied faithfully and without fear or favor, trust in government will follow. Because in the end, it is not our positions or politics that define us — it is our principles, our conscience, and our faith,” he added.

It was Ombudsman Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla who disclosed in a radio interview that the ICC has issued a warrant of arrest against the senator.

Dela Rosa was the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) when former president Rodrigo Duterte launched his controversial campaign against illegal drugs through "Oplan Tokhang" and "Oplan Double Barrel Reloaded" at the nationwide level.

Duterte is currently detained at the Hague Penitentiary Institution or the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague in The Netherlands on charges of crimes against humanity following his arrest through a warrant issued by the ICC.

The ICC Prosecutor has charged the former president with 49 incidents of murder and attempted murder during his time as mayor of Davao City and as President of the Philippines.

Based on government records, around 6,200 drug suspects were killed during the Duterte administration's anti-drug operations. Human rights organizations, however, say that the number may reach 30,000 due to the unreported related slays. — VDV/VBL, GMA Integrated News