Can people who protect Bato from ICC warrant be punished?

Senator-allies of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa definitely got his back.

His allies were using different faulty arguments to justify why the former Philippine National Police chief — who’s the subject of an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant — cannot be arrested.

First, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano claimed on Monday, May 11, that no senator may be arrested within Senate premises. This is not true because as several experts and former lawmakers have pointed out, both former senators Leila de Lima and Antonio Trillanes IV had been served their warrants while in the Senate premises.

After this claim, Cayetano, along with Senators Robin Padilla and Dela Rosa himself, repeatedly said that they would only honor a “local” warrant against Dela Rosa. Cayetano also claimed that Dela Rosa’s escape from the Senate compound on Thursday, May 14, was legal because the ICC warrant was not valid.

Again, Cayetano’s claim was faulty on two points. One, the Philippine government is still mandated to cooperate with the ICC investigation and the court itself confirmed the warrant’s validity. And second, Republic Act No. 9851 allows the country to enforce a warrant issued by an international tribunal.