Malacañang on Wednesday, May 20, said the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa remains valid after the Supreme Court (SC) did not issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) stopping its enforcement.

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro said the government recognizes the warrant as enforceable, while legal interpretations and operational matters will be handled by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

“Sa ngayon, nasasabi po natin na ang warrant of arrest ay valid laban dito kay Senator Bato dela Rosa (As of now, we can say that the warrant of arrest is valid against Senator Bato dela Rosa),” Castro said during a Palace briefing.

She added that all interpretations and evaluations regarding the Supreme Court’s resolution would be left to DOJ Secretary Fredderick Vida.

Castro also echoed the position of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), which reportedly considers dela Rosa a “fugitive” following his departure from the Senate while under protective custody.

“Iyan din po ang pananaw ng OSG na siya po ay kino-consider na fugitive (That is also the view of the OSG, that he is considered a fugitive),” Castro said when asked if the senator could now be considered a fugitive.

The Palace official clarified that operational decisions, including the possible enforcement of the ICC warrant, would be up to the DOJ.

“Lahat ng operational matters ay ibibigay po natin kay Secretary Vida ng DOJ (All operational matters will be given to Secretary Vida of the DOJ),” Castro said.

Questions were also raised about a video shown during a previous briefing allegedly depicting dela Rosa leaving the Senate alongside Senator Robin Padilla.

Castro said the footage presented came directly from the Senate and may form part of the evidence to be reviewed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), DOJ, and the Office of the Ombudsman.

“Ang nai-present po sa briefing kahapon, iyan po ay galing mismo rin sa Senado (What was presented at the briefing yesterday came directly from the Senate),” Castro said.

“So, kung ano pang ebidensya na meron sila, kakailanganin po iyan ng DILG, DOJ, at ng Ombudsman para makita natin ang buong katotohanan (Whatever other evidence they have will be needed by the DILG, the DOJ, and the Ombudsman in order for us to see the whole truth),” she added.

Castro said DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla earlier explained that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) did not act while dela Rosa was supposedly under Senate protective custody.

“Ayon po mismo kay Secretary Jonvic Remulla, naipakita po rito na kahit na nasa protective custody ng Senado si Senator Bato dela Rosa, iyon po ang pinanghawakan ng NBI noong nag-uusap sila, at dahil sa resolusyon na ito ay hindi gumalaw ang NBI (According to Secretary Jonvic Remulla himself, it was shown that even though Senator Bato dela Rosa was under the protective custody of the Senate, that was what the NBI relied on during their discussions, and because of this resolution, the NBI did not act),” she said.

Castro added that authorities are now questioning why dela Rosa was allegedly allowed to leave Senate custody.

Asked about President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s reaction after being shown the video, Castro said the President believes individuals who should be held accountable must face responsibility under the law.

“Alam po natin na ang mga tao na dapat may panagutan, ayon sa Pangulo, ay dapat managot. Kung wala namang kasalanan, kailangan ma-clear ang kanilang mga pangalan (We know that those who should be held accountable, according to the President, must face responsibility. If they are innocent, their names must be cleared),” Castro said.

“Kung iko-consider ito na pagtakas at pag-alis, hindi po natin ito dedesisyunan o bibigyan ng judgment, pero sa paningin ng Pangulo, hindi po ito nararapat (If this is to be considered as escape or flight, we will not make a decision or judgment on it, but in the President’s view, this should not be deemed appropriate),” she added.

However, Castro noted that Malacañang would not make a judgment on whether dela Rosa’s departure constituted “escape” or “flight.”

On whether the ICC arrest warrant would now be enforced following the SC’s denial of a TRO, Castro cited the OSG’s position that there is no need for the warrant to pass through local courts.

“Ayon sa OSG, nakita po natin kung ano ang statement ng OSG na siyang kumakatawan sa ating gobyerno, sabi po niya, hindi po kailangan dumaan sa local court (According to the OSG, we have seen its statement as the representative of our government. It said that there is no need to go through the local court),” Castro said.

“So, since wala pong TRO, tayo po ay nagsasabi na ang warrant of arrest ay valid (Since there is no TRO, we are saying that the warrant of arrest is valid),” she added.

Castro stressed that coordination and enforcement procedures remain under the DOJ’s authority.

When asked whether President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. could intervene to protect dela Rosa from a possible ICC arrest, Castro said the President’s role is to uphold the law.

“Ang magagawa ng Pangulo ay sumunod sa batas at tumalima sa rule of law (What the President can do is follow the law and abide by the rule of law),” Castro said.