MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson dismissed speculation that the P50-million bounty for the arrest of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa was intended to prevent him from voting in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Lacson said the impeachment court had ruled that senators beyond the Senate's coercive power would not be included in the denominator for determining the required number of votes.
"No. That’s just the product of a wild imagination," Lacson said in an interview with DWIZ radion on Saturday, rejecting the suggestion that authorities were pursuing Dela Rosa to keep him from voting in the impeachment proceedings.
Lacson questioned the need to arrest Dela Rosa to prevent him from participating in the proceedings, noting that the senator had already been absent while keeping out of public view.
Dela Rosa has reportedly been the subject of an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant over his alleged role in the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
Lacson said Dela Rosa could theoretically attempt to participate in a vote, as he had done during a previous change in Senate leadership, but warned that doing so again would be risky.
“That would be pushing his luck too hard, because the first time, it caught everyone by surprise,” Lacson said.
“If he does that again just to vote, it would really show how inefficient our law enforcement is if he still has not been arrested,” he added.
Lacson also said he did not see how Dela Rosa could participate in the impeachment trial or vote, although he acknowledged that the question could raise legal issues.
He said that a petition concerning the matter had reached the Supreme Court but was dismissed on grounds of lack of legal standing and prematurity.
Lacson said he was also puzzled by authorities’ failure to arrest Dela Rosa when they had the opportunity in May, but noted that parliamentary tradition and past precedents may have influenced the decision.
He was referring to remarks by Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, who expressed regret over not having Dela Rosa arrested when authorities had the chance.
Lacson recalled that former Senate president Jovito Salonga had maintained that senators should not be arrested inside the session hall, citing precedents protecting legislative proceedings.
That protection, however, did not necessarily extend beyond the session hall, including when a senator was in his office, Lacson said.
“So that was correct,” he said, adding that decisions often appear clearer in hindsight.
“Hindsight is 20/20. It is a perfect science,” Lacson said.
Authorities have given Dela Rosa one week to surrender, with Remulla announcing a P50-million reward on Friday, amid reports of an ICC arrest warrant against the senator.
