Minority senators seek due process safeguards on possible ICC warrants

SENATORS from the minority bloc have filed a resolution urging Philippine authorities to ensure Filipinos are first afforded due process in local courts before being surrendered to international tribunals, amid reports of possible arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“It is the sense of the Senate of the Philippines to protect all Filipinos against extraordinary rendition and guarantee them a reasonable time prior to their surrender by or extradition from the Philippines to seek redress from the courts and avail of legal remedies,” Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter S. Cayetano said in a statement, citing Senate Resolution No. 307. A copy of the resolution was not immediately available.

Mr. Cayetano said compliance with international arrest orders must still pass through the country’s legal system.

“If the interpretation is that when there is an arrest order from the ICC or any international court, we will immediately pick it up and take it to another country, it is very dangerous,” he said. “This is not just a matter of one person — it is a matter of our sovereignty and our constitutional framework.”

The resolution comes after the ICC identified several high-profile figures as co-perpetrators in former President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s anti-drug campaign. Among those named were Senators Ronald “Bato” M. dela Rosa and Christopher Lawrence “Bong” T. Go, both allies of Mr. Duterte.

The former President was arrested last year by the International Criminal Police Organization following an ICC warrant and is detained in The Hague, Netherlands, facing charges of crimes against humanity. The Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2018, with its exit taking effect in 2019.

The minority bloc said the naming of Mr. Go and Mr. dela Rosa in ICC documents makes them vulnerable to extradition without a hearing, stressing that the state must ensure access to legal remedies before any surrender.

“Due process and the rule of law should not be sacrificed at the altar of a blind pursuit of justice,” according to the statement.

Also mentioned in court documents were former Justice Secretary Vitaliano N. Aguirre II; former Philippine National Police chiefs Vicente D. Danao, Jr., Camilo P. Cascolan and Oscar D. Albayalde; ex-National Bureau of Investigation chief Dante A. Gierran; and former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency head Isidro S. Lapeña.

Mr. Aguirre and Mr. Go have denied the allegations. Mr. dela Rosa has not attended Senate sessions since Nov. 11, 2025, when reports of a possible warrant first surfaced. The ICC has yet to issue arrest warrants against the senators. — Adrian H. Halili