Sotto: No Senate discussions yet on possible ICC warrants vs. Dela Rosa, Go

Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III on Wednesday said that senators have not yet discussed the chamber's next course of action should the International Criminal Court (ICC) issue warrants of arrest against Senators Bong Go and Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa. 

Sotto made the remark after the ICC Office of the Prosecutor identified the two senators as among the alleged co-perpetrators in the crimes against humanity case of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

“Ang tanong muna, is there an arrest? Inuunahan eh, inuunahan ng tanong ninyo. So bago kami mag-caucus, bakit, meron ba? So, my answer: I'll cross the bridge when I get there,” the Senate President said when asked if the arrest is doable. 

(The question is, is there an arrest? You’re preempting it. Before we hold a caucus, is there even an arrest warrant? So, my answer: I'll cross the bridge when I get there.) 

“Wala pa kaming pinag-uusapan… Wala pa rin kaming pinag-uusapang caucus. Ano lang ‘yan eh, sa media lang ‘yan sinabi na merong ganon. Wala naman kaming official notice na may ganon,” he added.

(We haven't talked about anything yet... There's also no caucus. Talks about that only circulated in the media. There's no official notice that there's an arrest warrant.)

Dela Rosa served as the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the main implementer of the campaign against illegal drugs during the Duterte administration, Go, meanwhile, was Duterte's personal aide and special assistant. 

Asked if there is no urgency to discuss the issue, Sotto said, “You know, I was taught to keep my cards close to my chest by the stalwarts of the 9th Congress, and that’s what I’m doing.” 

“If there’s nothing concrete na nakikita [to see], why would I say what I think? So I'll cross the bridge when I get there. Are there members who would want the caucus? Then I'll call the caucus. Pero hindi ko pangungunahan [but I won’t get ahead of it],” he emphasized. 

Senate resolution

Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, on the other hand, said that the Senate minority bloc is drafting a resolution expressing the sense of the Senate to respect the Philippine courts. 

“Ang essence, ang spirit ng ating Constitution ay kung may problema, pwede kang tumakbo sa Philippine courts. So hindi naman pupwede na ‘pag sinabi ng ICC o kahit anong international court na may arrest, dadamputin mo na lang dito, dadalhin mo sa ibang bansa. Kung gano’n ang interpretasyon, napaka-delikado,” Cayetano said. 

(The essence, the spirit of our Constitution is that if there is a problem, you can run to the Philippine courts. So it is not possible that when the ICC or any international court says that there is an arrest, you will just pick them up and bring them to another country. If that's the interpretation, it's very dangerous.) 

“Sira ang ating constitutional framework and the concept of sovereignty kung ang ating local courts ay gagawin nilang powerless. So, I do understand that there are emotions here. There's human rights issues. Pero nababawasan ba ‘yung human rights kung ‘yung isang tao ay nakaka-takbo muna sa korte?”

(Our constitutional framework and the concept of sovereignty are broken if they make our local courts powerless. So, I do understand that there are emotions here. There are human rights issues. But would human rights be reduced if a person would be allowed to run to a local court first?) 

Rodrigo Duterte was arrested in the Philippines by local authorities on March 11, 2025, based on a warrant of arrest issued by the ICC. He is currently detained in The Hague, Netherlands for charges of crimes against humanity for alleged extrajudicial killings during his administration's drug war.

The confirmation of charges in Duterte’s case is scheduled to begin on February 23, with subsequent hearings set for February 24, 26, and 27. — BM, GMA Integrated News