The Supreme Court made a firm stand on Tuesday.
It denied Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa’s urgent motion asking the court to force Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla to release a copy of what is believed to be an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant against him.
In a brief but clear statement, the SC said:
“Acting on these submissions, the SC denied the very urgent motion seeking to compel the production of the alleged ICC warrant.”
The decision landed hard on Dela Rosa’s camp.
His lawyer, Atty. Israelito Torreon, responded quickly.
He said they would file a motion for reconsideration — determined to keep the fight alive.
Torreon also raised a serious question:
If Remulla claims to have a copy of the alleged ICC warrant, how did he get it?
From whom? When? And under what authority?
These questions were the heart of Dela Rosa’s motion.
He wanted the court to order Remulla to submit a sworn statement explaining everything — every detail of how that supposed document reached his hands.
This legal tug-of-war began after Remulla publicly announced that the ICC had reportedly issued a warrant against the senator.
Shaken by the revelation, Dela Rosa also filed another request:
He pleaded for a temporary restraining order (TRO) to stop the government from enforcing any such warrant, if it indeed exists.
The Supreme Court responded by ordering those involved in the case to submit their comments within 10 days — a deadline that cannot be extended.
Meanwhile, Dela Rosa’s camp insists they still have no official confirmation that an ICC warrant even exists.
His lawyer further argued that the Philippine government has no legal pathway to surrender its citizens to an international tribunal, especially since no rules currently govern that process.
As of today, there is no publicly known ICC case filed directly against Dela Rosa.
But former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV previously claimed that Dela Rosa — along with four other high-ranking police officials — was tagged as a suspect in the ICC’s investigation into the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
Dela Rosa once served as the chief of the Philippine National Police during that campaign.
Government records show that around 6,200 drug suspects were killed during those operations.
Human rights groups, however, believe the number could be much higher — possibly reaching 30,000, including unreported killings.
As the legal battle unfolds, one thing is clear:
This story is far from over. The questions, the accusations, and the search for answers continue — echoing loudly in a nation still grappling with the legacy of the drug war.
