Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson and Deputy Majority Leader Risa Hontiveros said Monday that the upper chamber will discuss possible courses of action as they navigate the complex situation of grappling with the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In separate statements, Lacson and Hontiveros expressed that this uncharted territory would not be easy as the Senate risks the possibility of losing two of its members—Senators Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa and Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go—which affects their legislative work.
For Lacson, it is important to respect the primacy of the Philippines’ constitutional processes before enforcing any warrant of arrest from the ICC. He clarified that his position is not meant to shield Go and Dela Rosa from accountability.
“What I am protecting is our country’s legal processes as enshrined in Article III Section 2 of the 1987 Constitution… Despite contrasting legal opinions on the matter, at the proper time, it is only the Supreme Court that will interpret the constitutional provision and legal procedure in this regard,” he said in a post on X.
Hontiveros, for her part, said the situation of Dela Rosa and Go with the ICC remains at the indictment stage, with no documents yet issued that would formally trigger specific legal processes.
She noted that unlike Senate investigations conducted solely within the Philippines, the ICC matter carries an international scope, making it a more complex and painful process that the Senate must confront as an institution at the proper time.
“By tradition, while the Senate is in session, no member is arrested within its premises. If there are further developments that arise, I am sure the Senate leadership will take the lead in discussing them with all of us,” Hontiveros said.
Lacson reiterated that the Senate majority will discuss on Wednesday possible measures in the event the ICC moves to issue warrants of arrest against Go and Dela Rosa, who are aligned with the minority.
