By Brian Campued
The warrant of arrest issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa is “valid,” according to Palace Press Officer Claire Castro.
This, as the Supreme Court rejected the senator’s prayer for a temporary restraining order (TRO) to block the enforcement of the ICC warrant.
“Sa ngayon masasabi po natin na ang warrant of arrest ay valid laban dito kay Sen. Bato Dela Rosa,” Castro said in a video statement in Malacañang on Wednesday.
She added that any official interpretation and evaluation by the Executive department regarding the SC decision will be referred to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
During its session today, May 20, the Supreme Court en banc voted 9-5-1 to deny Dela Rosa’s request for issuance of a status quo ante order against respondent Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), DOJ, Philippine National Police (PNP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Bureau of Immigration (BI), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).
In his manifestations, Dela Rosa asked for a TRO and status quo ante order that would prevent law enforcement and other government agencies from arresting him on the basis of any warrant from the ICC as well as a red notice and diffusion from the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) or any foreign judicial or quasi-judicial instrument without a Philippine judicial warrant.
The high court clarified that the latest resolution only decided on Dela Rosa’s prayers for interim relief.
“The main issues raised by the parties in their pleadings and motions are yet to be resolved in the main case,” the SC stated.
The full Resolution and the Separate Concurring and Dissenting Opinions of the Members of the Court will be uploaded to the Supreme Court website on May 25, it said.
The ICC earlier identified Dela Rosa as an “indirect co-perpetrator” in the crimes against humanity case of former President Rodrigo Duterte. He was the PNP chief during the implementation of Duterte’s war on drugs campaign, which allegedly resulted in extrajudicial killings.
The warrant was originally issued under seal on Nov. 6, 2025 and later unsealed and made public on May 11, 2026—also the day when Dela Rosa resurfaced after nearly six months of absence.
The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) previously stressed that the Philippines is committed to international law and to holding those responsible accountable, saying that the government can implement the ICC warrant under Republic Act 9851.
“The law was never intended to provide an excuse for evasion nor to become a weapon wielded only by those with power. It exists so that even the voiceless dead, whose cries never reached a courtroom, are not forgotten by justice,” the OSG said in an 83-page comment to Dela Rosa’s plea dated May 16.
“No amount of technical reasoning can disguise the absence of justice,” it added.
The OSG noted Dela Rosa’s “conscious avoidance of lawful legal accountability,” calling him a “fugitive from justice” evading arrest and prosecution. (with reports from Kenneth Paciente and RR Tubice / PTV News)
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