Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday stood firm on her support for the Philippines’ cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC), as tensions simmered within the opposition bloc following Senator Bam Aquino’s remark that drug war cases should “ideally” be tried in local courts.
Aquino’s comment drew criticism, especially from former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, one of the petitioners behind the ICC complaint against former President Rodrigo Duterte over the deadly anti-drug campaign.
Trillanes called Aquino’s statement “insensitive” and “unfair,” saying it downplayed the struggle of families seeking justice for the extrajudicial killings (EJKs).
Hontiveros, Aquino and Trillanes are all part of the opposition bloc.
Hontiveros said she had not seen Trillanes’s remarks and declined to comment. But she made clear that she continues to back calls for the Philippines to rejoin the Rome Statute — the treaty that created the ICC — stressing that international justice becomes crucial when local systems fall short.
“Since the time of Kian delos Santos, Kulot, Carl and other EJK victims, I have supported the families’ call for truth and justice,” Hontiveros said.
“That’s why I support respecting international justice processes like the ICC — because when our own courts can’t fully respond to the grieving families, we can at least turn to the global community that shares these values,” she added.
Earlier this week, Aquino said that since the killings happened in the Philippines, ideally those responsible should face trial in Philippine courts rather than abroad.
His remarks came amid reports that the ICC had named Senators Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Christopher “Bong” Go as alleged co-perpetrators in Duterte’s crimes against humanity case.
Trillanes bristled at Aquino’s stance, accusing him of trying to appease Duterte supporters while victims’ families waited years for justice.
“The families waited nine years, while those now pretending to care did nothing when the killings were happening,” Trillanes said.
He also claimed that Aquino and former vice president Leni Robredo had opposed turning Duterte over to the ICC during the 2022 elections.
Meanwhile, Senate President Vicente Sotto denied rumors of a Senate caucus to discuss possible ICC arrest warrants for Dela Rosa and Go.
Instead, some senators were reportedly working on a resolution urging international courts to respect the Philippine justice system.
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano warned against what he called the danger of simply handing over Filipinos to foreign courts.
“If there’s a problem, our Constitution says you go to Philippine courts,” Cayetano said. “It’s dangerous if an international body can just order arrests and take people out of the country.”
Duterte is facing three counts of murder as crimes against humanity over killings recorded from 2011 to 2019, covering his time as Davao City mayor and president. He has been detained in The Hague since his arrest in Manila on 11 March 2025.