Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III stated that the Senate has yet to discuss its next steps should the International Criminal Court (ICC) issue arrest warrants 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 involving former president Rodrigo Duterte.
“The question is first, is there an arrest? So, my answer: I’ll cross the bridge when I get there,” Sotto said when asked if an arrest would be feasible.
He stressed that no formal discussion has taken place within the chamber.
“We haven’t discussed anything yet… We still don’t have a caucus. But I won’t speculate,” he emphasized.
Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, for his part, said the minority bloc is drafting a resolution expressing the Senate’s intent to uphold the authority of Philippine courts.
“The essence, the spirit of our Constitution is that if you have a problem, you can run to the Philippine courts. But are human rights diminished if a person can first run to the court?” he added.
Duterte was arrested by Philippine authorities on March 11, 2025, based on a warrant issued by the ICC.
“So it cannot be that if the ICC or any international court says there’s an arrest, you just arrest him here and bring him to another country. If that’s the interpretation, it’s very dangerous,” Cayetano said.
He warned that disregarding local judicial processes could undermine sovereignty.
“Our constitutional framework and the concept of sovereignty are damaged if our local courts are made powerless,” Cayetano noted.
Go, meanwhile, served as Duterte’s longtime personal aide and special assistant before being elected senator.
Asked if there is urgency to tackle the matter, Sotto said he would not speculate without concrete developments.
“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,” he said.
“If there’s nothing concrete that’s visible, why would I say what I think? So before we have a caucus, why, is there anything? We don’t have an official notice of such,” he added.
Dela Rosa previously served as chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and was the chief implementer of the Duterte administration’s campaign against illegal drugs.
“You’re jumping ahead, you’re jumping ahead with your questions. That’s just what was said in the media, that there is such a thing,” he said.
He is currently detained in The Hague, Netherlands, on charges of crimes against humanity related to alleged extrajudicial killings during his administration’s anti-drug campaign.
The confirmation of charges hearing in Duterte’s case is set to begin on February 23, with subsequent hearings scheduled for February 24, 26, and 27.
“Then I’ll call the caucus. Are there members who would want the caucus? There are human rights issues. So I’ll cross the bridge when I get there. So, I do understand that there are emotions here.”
