Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa’s legal team is seeking to keep his Supreme Court battle alive after the High Court En Banc voted 9-5-1 to deny his request for immediate protection against any arrest tied to the International Criminal Court.
In a statement released Wednesday, the Law Firm of Torreon and Partners said it has taken note of the Supreme Court resolution denying Dela Rosa’s plea for a temporary restraining order.
The Supreme Court clarified that it denied only the request for interim relief, meaning the main legal issues raised in the case remain unresolved. Dela Rosa had asked the High Court to prevent government agencies from arresting him based on any ICC warrant, Interpol red notice or diffusion, or any foreign judicial or quasi-judicial instrument without a Philippine judicial warrant.
The senator’s lawyers said they respect the Court’s action but argued that the denial does not resolve the constitutional questions raised by the petitioners.
“Today’s Resolution is not a judgment on the merits. It is not a final ruling on the legality of enforcing an ICC process within Philippine territory,” the statement read.
The firm said the ruling does not settle whether a Filipino may be “arrested, detained, transferred, surrendered, or removed from Philippine jurisdiction without prior judicial process under Philippine law.”
Dela Rosa’s camp framed the case around issues of due process, sovereignty and the limits of foreign legal action inside the Philippines following the country’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute.
The firm said it will file a Motion for Reconsideration and exhaust all legal remedies available. For now, Dela Rosa has lost his bid for immediate relief, but the main case before the Supreme Court remains pending.
