A phantom plane supposedly waiting to whisk Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa off to The Hague has become the latest character in the country’s political drama, except the Philippine Air Force (PAF) said Tuesday the aircraft exists only in social media imagination.

Unlike the very real aircraft that carried former president Rodrigo Duterte to The Hague last year to face trial before the International Criminal Court, the supposed standby plane at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City appears to be entirely fictional.

“We have not received any official directives, coordination or requests regarding that,” PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Christina Basco said in a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo.

“Actually, right now we are on white alert status. We are undergoing normal air operations and routine operations, and that is our current status at Villamor,” she added.

The ICC on Monday confirmed issuing a warrant against Dela Rosa, which the National Bureau of Investigation tried but failed to serve at the Senate.

During the same briefing, AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla emphasized that the military remains focused on its constitutional mandate and does not participate in partisan politics.

“We continue to remain committed to our constitutional mandate of protecting the Filipino and securing the State. So, focus po kami doon sa aming mission and mandate,” Padilla said.

Padilla also dismissed speculation surrounding the presence of Philippine Marine Corps personnel around the Senate, saying the deployments were routine and had long existed even before the latest standoff involving dela Rosa.

“To confirm, we really have deployments in different areas and institutions. Aside from the Senate, we also have deployments in Malacañang Palace. If you notice, we even have personnel stationed near the Jose Rizal monument,” Padilla said.

ICC spokesperson Oriane Maillet said the warrant had been issued confidentially under seal on 6 November 2025 before it was unsealed and declared public on 11 May.