The camp of drug war victims asserted Sunday that the Senate cannot provide absolute refuge for “murderers” amid reports of a looming International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant against Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.

Lawyer Kristina Conti, an ICC assistant to counsel, made the statement following reports that the Senate may block Dela Rosa’s potential arrest within its premises, invoking “institutional courtesy.”

“The Senate should not protect murderers or even the corrupt,” Conti said. “The protection that will be provided by the Senate is not arbitrary.”

The Senate previously gave temporary sanctuary to former senators Leila de Lima (2017) and Antonio Trillanes IV (2018), both vocal critics of then-President Rodrigo Duterte, who sought refuge in the chamber to avoid arrest for drug trafficking and rebellion, respectively.

De Lima surrendered after spending a night in the Senate, while Trillanes turned himself in after three weeks.

Senate President Tito Sotto said that no sitting senator will be arrested within the Senate premises “as a matter of institutional courtesy,” but added that any arrest outside its grounds is “no longer our concern.”

Conti countered, saying there is “no explicit rule that prohibits police from entering the Senate to arrest people.”

“As long as Bato dela Rosa does not engage in the ICC process, whether it is submitting a motion to dismiss or a motion to quash, he cannot just hide in the Senate forever,” she said.

The alleged ICC warrant against Dela Rosa was first mentioned by Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla over the weekend, though it has not been confirmed by Malacañang or the Department of Justice.