Philippine Senator Dela Rosa's lawyers question gov't order to enforce ICC arrest warrant

MANILA, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Lawyers of Philippine Senator Ronald Dela Rosa questioned the directive of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to arrest him, issued under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant, according to a local television interview late Thursday.

Dela Rosa's legal team stated that Dela Rosa is not escaping any liability, and proper cases can be filed in the Philippines. He added that the ICC warrant could not be enforced directly in the Philippines without first being served in a local court.

"We have to respect our Constitution. We have to respect customary international law. We have to respect treaty law in this regard," said the senator's lawyer, Israelito Torreon.

The DOJ department on Thursday ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to arrest Dela Rosa based on a warrant issued by the ICC, labeling him as "fugitive from justice."

PNP chief Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said on Friday that tracker teams have been mobilized in coordination with the DOJ and the NBI to locate and serve the arrest warrant against Dela Rosa. NBI director Melvin Matibag said they will execute the arrest order "without delay" on Thursday.

The Philippine Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday held a vote and decided to deny Dela Rosa's prayer for a temporary restraining order or status quo ante order to block Philippine authorities from arresting him based on any warrant from the ICC.

On May 11, Dela Rosa sought judicial protection and asked the SC to immediately stop any attempt to arrest or surrender him to the ICC. On the same day, the ICC unsealed an arrest warrant for Dela Rosa, which had originally been issued as secret in November 2025.

Dela Rosa called on the public to take action to block his transfer to the ICC on social media on May 13, saying that operatives from the NBI and PNP would arrest him after a senate session.

During the night on May 13, Philippine military personnel and agents from the NBI entered the Senate building, where gunshots and panicked shouts from the crowd were heard. No casualties were reported from the incident. Philippine Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano on May 14 confirmed that Dela Rosa was no longer inside the Senate building.

Dela Rosa has been reportedly linked to the anti-drug crackdown launched under former President Rodrigo Duterte. There have been no reports of Dela Rosa being arrested currently. Enditem