Former Senate President Franklin Drilon criticized the government’s handling of the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, accusing authorities of passing responsibility instead of enforcing the law.
In an interview, Drilon said there should be no legal obstacle to serving the warrant, stressing that the ICC is an international tribunal created under the Rome Statute and not merely a foreign court.
“Walang sagabal sa pag-serve ng warrant at sang-ayon sa Rome Statute ang pag-serve ng warrant. Ngunit ang reaksyon ng ating mga officials ang nakakatawa,” he said.
The former justice secretary questioned statements from government agencies suggesting they were awaiting directives before implementing the warrant.
“Directive from whom? From the President? From the Department of Justice? This is a simple service of warrant. It is something authorities do everyday,” he said.
Drilon also criticized what he described as conflicting positions from Malacañang and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) regarding which agency should take the lead in enforcing the warrant.
“Now Malacañang is saying the service of the ICC warrant is an operational matter dependent on the DOJ. Then we have a DILG saying the DOJ is the lead agency and not them,” he said.
He pointed out that in previous high-profile operations involving former President Rodrigo Duterte and Apollo Quiboloy, law enforcement agencies led by the DILG and the Philippine National Police took direct action.
“Sa simpleng warrant of arrest nagtuturuan kung sino ang mag-i-implement… It is a collective failure of leadership,” Drilon said.
The former Senate leader warned that the situation risks creating public perception that the country applies justice differently depending on political influence and power.
“We are talking about justice for more than 6,000 victims of extrajudicial killings. You cannot ignore the people’s cry for justice because of technicalities,” he said.
Drilon also rejected arguments questioning the ICC warrant’s validity simply because it did not originate from a Philippine court, noting that the Philippines ratified the Rome Statute that established the ICC.
He said the proper legal remedy for dela Rosa is to face the charges before the tribunal in The Hague, stressing that the issuance of a warrant does not automatically imply guilt but ensures the accused’s appearance before the court.
Sen. Erwin Tulfo also weighed in on the issue, saying the Supreme Court’s refusal to issue a temporary restraining order against dela Rosa’s arrest should already be taken as a clear signal.
“Kung walang jurisdiction yung ICC, sana nagpalabas ng TRO,” Tulfo said.