Lacson denies shielding Bato, Go amid ICC warrant threat

Senate President Pro Tempore Ping Lacson on Monday debunked allegations that he was shielding his colleagues, Senators Bato de la Rosa and Bong Go, from the International Criminal Court (ICC), following his proposal that the two be allowed to seek legal remedies in Philippine courts before a potential warrant from the foreign body is executed.

The senator drew flak after floating such a suggestion over the weekend, shortly after the ICC prosecutors named De la Rosa and Go, among several former senior Philippine officials, as co-perpetrators of former President Rodrigo Duterte in the crimes against humanity tied to his bloody war on drugs.

He argued that foreign bodies should not bypass the Philippine judicial system, though he clarified that his position doesn’t automatically suggest that De la Rosa and Go must be safeguarded against possible arrest by the ICC.

"To those who criticize my opinion on the need for a corresponding domestic court order before the ICC warrants of arrest against our fellow senators and others may be implemented, let me be clear: what I am protecting is our country’s legal processes as enshrined in Article III Section 2 of the 1987 Constitution, not Senators Ronald de la Rosa and Bong Go," Lacson said on X, formerly Twitter.

Notwithstanding divergent legal views on the issue, he argued that only the Supreme Court has the authority to give the final and binding interpretation of the provision in question.

The provision upholds the right of every Filipino citizen against deprivation of liberty. It also stipulates that no warrant of arrest shall be issued unless there is probable cause personally determined by the judge after a thorough examination taken under oath.

Lacson contended that this provision must be respected, regardless of whether or not the warrant is issued by foreign bodies.

De la Rosa and Go are both close allies of Duterte, having served as his former Philippine National Police chief and top aide, respectively.

Their bond dates back to Duterte’s stint as Davao City mayor from 1988 to 2016.

An ICC document dated 13 February showed that Duterte and his co-perpetrators shared a “common plan” to “neutralize” alleged criminals, including those suspected of illegal drug use in the Philippines, through “violent crimes, including murder.”

Aside from the two senators, Duterte’s alleged co-perpetrators include former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, the former president’s ex-lawyer in cases involving the so-called “Davao Death Squad,” and De la Rosa’s successor, former PNP chief Oscar Albayalde.

Others are Vicente Danao and Isidro Lapeña, former Davao City police chiefs; Camilo Cascolan, finance chief of the Davao Region Police Office; Dante Gierran, Davao regional director of the National Bureau of Investigation; and other unnamed high-ranking law enforcement officers.

The “common plan” referred to policies implemented by Duterte to curb illegal drugs and crimes, which allegedly involved systematic killings, torture, and other crimes.

The operations were implemented during Duterte's tenure as Davao City mayor and later expanded nationwide after he won the presidency in 2016.

ICC prosecutors said the alleged killings were first carried out by the DDS—a notorious group formerly composed of Davao-based police and hired gunmen responsible for the killings in the city—with Duterte as the “top head.”

De la Rosa was also reportedly a member of the DDS, as previously claimed by Duterte in a Senate hearing in 2024.

De la Rosa, who has been absent from the Senate since November following reports of an impending ICC warrant, remained mum on the recent ICC document tagging him as among Duterte’s co-perpetrators.

Go, on the other hand, denied involvement in the killings, branding ICC’s allegation as “entirely unfounded, one-sided, unfair, and bears no relation” to his previous roles under Duterte’s tenure as Davao City mayor and as Philippine president.

Meanwhile, Lacson reiterated that the Senate and its lawyers may discuss possible courses of action regarding De la Rosa and Go's situation when the chamber resumes session on Wednesday.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, for her part, echoed Senate President Tito Sotto's previous statement that no senators could be arrested while the Senate is in session.