MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court has denied the request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) and/or status quo ante order (SQAO) filed by Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa in connection with possible arrest actions linked to an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant, an Interpol red notice or diffusion, or any similar foreign-issued legal instrument in the absence of a Philippine court-issued warrant.
In a 9-5-1 vote during a speciel session onn Tuesday, the HighCourt denied the petition seeking interim relief that would have prevented the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Justice, Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Immigration, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group from acting on or assisting in the implementation of such foreign-issued arrest requests.
Importantly, the high tribunal emphasized that this was not a final ruling on the main legal questions in the case. It only decided on the “interim relief,” or the request for immediate protection. The core constitutional and legal issues raised by both sides remain pending and will be resolved later when the Court decides the main case.
Meanwhile, Malacanang, through Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro, said the Supreme Court order strengthened the validity of the ICC arrest warrant and that it would "pass all possible interpretations and evaluations of the said resolution from the Supreme Court to Secretary Fredderick Vida.”
Dela Rosa resurfaced after months of hiding last May 13 to throw his support behind the majority bloc that propelled Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano to the Senate presidency.
It was on the same day that a shooting incident happened within the upper house’s premises which triggered an investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Dela Rosa, aided by Sen. Robin Padilla, left the Senate complex several hours after. He is now considered a fugitive.
“That is also the view of the OSG (Office of the Solicitor General), that he is considered a fugitive,” Castro said.
