Senator Risa Hontiveros – Photo courtesy of Senator Risa Hontiveros/Facebook.
Senate Deputy Majority Leader Risa Hontiveros on Monday reiterated that no senator can be arrested inside the Senate while sessions are ongoing. She cited the stance of Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, which follows long-standing Senate tradition.
The reminder comes after the International Criminal Court named Senators Bong Go and Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa as alleged co-perpetrators in the crimes against humanity case linked to former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Hontiveros said the matter is “difficult and painful” for the chamber, but the Senate must confront it. She emphasized that the ICC notice is only an indictment and that no domestic legal proceedings have been initiated yet.
When the possibility of an ICC arrest warrant against Dela Rosa first surfaced in November 2025, Sotto affirmed that the Senate would not allow a senator to be taken into custody on its premises. Dela Rosa has not attended sessions since November 11 and has not publicly addressed the ICC document.
Go denied the allegations, calling them “entirely unfounded, one-sided, unfair, and bear no relation to the reality” of his responsibilities as Special Assistant to the President (2016–2018) and as Executive Assistant to the Mayor of Davao City (1998–2016).
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson clarified that his previous comments on ICC warrants were intended to safeguard constitutional processes, not defend Go or Dela Rosa personally. He noted that only the Supreme Court can definitively interpret Article III, Section 2 of the 1987 Constitution regarding searches, seizures, and arrest warrants.
Lacson also stressed that the two senators should be allowed to exercise all legal options and that domestic courts and processes must be respected. He added that Sotto may call a caucus to consult senators on how to respond to potential ICC developments.
Hontiveros concluded that the Senate will determine the “best stance to take” if the ICC case advances, underscoring that the chamber must address international and legal issues at the appropriate time.
