Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano on Tuesday, December 2 called on the government to assure Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa of his rights and due process amid reports of his impending arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“It is very important that our justice system in the country is in place…The government should assure Senator Bato that there is a process,” Cayetano told reporters during the sidelines of the 2026 national budget deliberation.

Dela Rosa has been absent from the Senate since session resumed last November 10 following Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla’s announcement that the ICC had issued an arrest warrant against the senator in relation to his role as the chief implementer of the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. However, the ICC has yet to confirm the report.

“I have no problem if the government says, ‘When he is caught, he can go to court.’ We in the Minority, at least I, will challenge him. ‘Come in, it is your responsibility’,” the Minority Leader said.

He also called on the Senate leadership to stand up for their colleague in ensuring legal protection.

“I’ll make it simple: If a warrant of arrest is issued against a senator, he should face such charges, but this is a different case,” he said.

“This is a case where the Senate itself – the leadership and all of us in the minority and majority – should stand up for a senator and ask, ‘Is he getting the legal protection that every Filipino should get?’” he pointed out.

This uncertainty of the present Senate leadership standing up in his defense is likely the reason why Dela Rosa has yet to attend the chamber’s sessions, Cayetano said.

“He cannot step here in the Senate because there’s no guarantee he won’t be arrested and be deported to the Hague without the nod of any Philippine court. Sen. Bato’s appeal is that if there is an arrest warrant, he can go to the courts to seek legal remedy,” he explained.

Cayetano also dismissed the possibility of an ethics case being filed against Dela Rosa in relation to his absences.

“It's very illogical that the ethics case will prosper. If you file, you can. Anyone can file. The question is, is there a ground? Is there a threat against his liberty?” he pointed out.

Cayetano noted that former president Rodrigo Duterte was immediately flown to The Hague, Netherlands when he was arrested by the Interpol because there was no intervention from local courts.

This precedent, he said, should prompt the government to assure Dela Rosa of a fair legal process.

Thus, he said, the question should not be about why Dela Rosa is absent from the Senate’s sessions but “why there is no assurance from the government that his rights will be protected.”

“When your life and liberty are threatened, you really think of options,” he said.