Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Monday claimed that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued a warrant of arrest against Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who has been identified as a co-perpetrator in the crimes against humanity case filed against former president Rodrigo Duterte.
Trillanes made the statement after appearing at the Senate premises alongside agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), who he said were there in connection with the supposed ICC warrant against the senator.
The development came as dela Rosa resurfaced publicly at the Senate after months away from public view, appearing during the session that resulted in the election of Senator Alan Peter Cayetano as the new Senate president.
Dela Rosa reportedly arrived at the Senate building to cast his vote in favor of Cayetano during the dramatic leadership shakeup in the chamber.
Speaking to reporters at the Senate, Trillanes stopped short of confirming whether he had personally seen a copy of the alleged ICC arrest warrant, but hinted that authorities were prepared to prevent dela Rosa from leaving the premises.
“Hindi na natin palalabasin yan si Bato,” Trillanes told reporters.
He also argued that Philippine law allows authorities to surrender individuals who are being investigated by international tribunals.
According to Trillanes, his presence at the Senate was in response to a previous public statement made by dela Rosa himself.
“Nandito ako dahil nag-request si Bato, publicly on national TV, na samahan ko yung mag-aaresto, kaya nandito ako ngayon,” he said.
The former senator declined to answer further questions from the media regarding the alleged warrant or the actions being undertaken by authorities.
Dela Rosa has been repeatedly linked to the ICC investigation into Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, particularly during his tenure as Philippine National Police chief.
As of posting, neither the ICC nor Philippine authorities had officially confirmed the existence of an arrest warrant against dela Rosa.