Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto maintained that protecting the dignity of the Senate remains his top priority following reports claiming that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant against Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa.
In a message to the media on Saturday, November 8, Sotto said he has not received any official information regarding the supposed warrant but stressed that as Senate President, he would not permit any arrest to take place within the Senate grounds as a matter of institutional courtesy.
“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,” he said.
He clarified, however, that his authority does not extend beyond the Senate complex.
“Outside the Senate premises, that’s no longer our concern,” Sotto added.
Meanwhile, Atty. Israelito Torreon, legal counsel for Dela Rosa, also stated on Saturday that there is no official confirmation yet regarding the reported ICC warrant. He cautioned the public against spreading or interpreting unverified information.
“At this point, we do not have independent confirmation as to whether or not this information is accurate. We therefore urge the public and the media to exercise caution and restraint in sharing or interpreting such reports until verified information is officially released by competent authorities or by the ICC itself,” he wrote on Facebook.
Torreon emphasized that if the report turns out to be true, they trust the government to uphold due process and follow constitutional procedures.
“If proven true, we trust that the Philippine Government will act in accordance with the rule of law, and that any such action shall first pass through the proper local judicial confirmation process consistent with our Constitution, due process, and the sovereign rights of the Republic of the Philippines,” he added.