Published May 21, 2026 10:48am + Add GMA on Google Make this your preferred source to get more updates from this publisher on Google. Retired Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Adolfo Azcuna said Thursday the non-issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) for Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa means he can be arrested amid the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him.However, Azcuna said that it may be better for authorities to wait for the High Court to rule on the main legal issues before surrendering him to the international tribunal, should the government decide to do so.“Walang TRO, Ibig sabihin maaari nilang arestuhin si Bato dahil walang TRO,” he said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.(There’s no TRO, meaning Bato can be arrested.)“Ngunit, ang kwestyon is maari na ba ipadala na kaagad sa The Hague, gaya ng ginawa nila kay dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte. Ang palagay ko dapat intayin muna yung ruling ng SC sa principal [na] kaso,” he added.(However, the question is whether he may already be sent to The Hague immediately, like what they did to former President Rodrigo Duterte. I believe they should first wait for the ruling of the SC on the principal case.)This came after the SC En Banc, voting 9-5-1 during a special session, denied Dela Rosa’s prayer for interim relief.The SC, however, stressed that it has yet to rule on the main legal issues, such as whether Philippine officers may enforce an ICC warrant without a Philippine judicial warrant and whether it can be implemented despite the country's exit from the tribunal.When asked why this is more prudent, Azcuna said this is because the issue is complicated. He said that the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, requires the suspected individual to be brought to a local court while Republic Act 9851 states that the individual may be surrendered to the international tribunal.“Kailangan maipaliwanag ito kung ano talaga ang tungkulin ng isang bansa sa harap ng international arrest warrant,” he said.(It is necessary to explain what the duty of a country really is in the face of an international arrest warrant.)Dela Rosa is the subject of an arrest warrant for “alleged criminal responsibility as an indirect co-perpetrator” in the crimes against humanity of murder from July 3, 2016, until the end of April 2018, wherein at least 32 persons died. — RSJ, GMA News