The Supreme Court has denied the very urgent motion filed by Sen. Ronald dela Rosa seeking to compel the production of the alleged International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant issued against him.
In a statement, the Supreme Court Office of the Spokesperson said the justices rejected Dela Rosa’s plea during a full-court session on Tuesday.
It instead directed the respondents to comment on a separate manifestation alleging that Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla had publicly stated that an ICC arrest warrant had already been issued against the lawmaker and that a diffusion order against him was in place.
Dela Rosa’s manifestation, filed on Nov. 13, also claimed that the Philippine government would surrender him to the ICC without undergoing extradition proceedings, and that the Department of Justice had placed at least three witnesses under the Witness Protection Program at the ICC’s request.
‘Acting on these submissions, the SC denied the Very Urgent Motion seeking to compel the production of the alleged ICC warrant. It directed respondents to comment on the Very Urgent Manifestation, through personal service and filing, within a non-extendible period of 10 days from notice,’ the spokesperson said.
The pleadings stem from the main petition filed by Dela Rosa and former President Rodrigo Duterte on March 11, which challenged the latter’s arrest and turnover to the Hague, the Netherlands, and the government’s cooperation with the ICC.