Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson on Monday dismissed claims he was shielding Senators Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Christopher “Bong” Go from the International Criminal Court (ICC), following his proposal that the two be allowed to seek legal remedies in Philippine courts before any ICC warrants are served.

Lacson drew flak after making the suggestion over the weekend, shortly after the ICC prosecutors named Dela Rosa and Go, among several former senior Philippine officials, as co-perpetrators of former president Rodrigo Duterte in the crimes against humanity during his bloody war on drugs.

He argued that foreign courts should not bypass the Philippine judicial system. He clarified that his position does not automatically mean that Dela Rosa and Go must be shielded from ICC arrest.

“To those who criticized 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 Constitution, not Senators Ronald dela Rosa and Bong Go,” Lacson said on X.

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 protects every Filipino’s right to liberty. It also stipulates that no warrant of arrest shall be issued unless there is probable cause personally determined by a judge after a thorough examination taken under oath.

Lacson said foreign authorities must respect this provision, whether or not they issue a warrant.

Dela Rosa and Go were both close allies of Duterte, serving as the Philippine National Police chief and his top aide, respectively.

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