MANILA, Philippines—Sen. Panfilo Lacson clarified that his stand on respecting local courts in relation to the charges his fellow senators were facing before the International Criminal Court (ICC) was not meant to shield them.
Lacson issued the statement on Monday as he addressed criticisms about his stand that local Philippine courts must be respected in whatever course of action the ICC may take against Sens. Ronald dela Rosa and Christopher Go.
The ICC recently named dela Rosa and Go as co-perpetrators of former president Rodrigo Duterte who is awaiting trial for alleged crimes against humanity arising from his bloody war on drugs.
"To those who criticize my opinion on the need for a corresponding domestic court order before the ICC warrants of arrest against our fellow senators and others may be implemented, let me be clear: what I am protecting is our country’s legal processes as enshrined in Article III Section 2 of the 1987 Constitution, not Senators Ronald de la Rosa and Bong Go," Lacson wrote on X.