Asked further if Sen. Ronald dela Rosa can be arrested without a temporary restraining order, Supreme Court spokesperson Camille Ting replied: “This matter is not covered by the resolution.”
The Supreme Court (SC) announced on Wednesday, May 13, that it did
not issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) to stop the arrest of Sen.
Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, even as security forces swarmed the Senate
premises to prevent him from leaving.
At a press briefer issued at
around 6:15 p.m., the high tribunal announced its issuance of a
resolution ordering executive officials to comment on Dela Rosa’s urgent
petitions for a TRO, writ of preliminary injunction or a status quo
ante order within a non-extendible period of 72 hours from receipt. Dela
Rosa is also ordered to reply to respondents’ comments within the same
period.
Without confirming or denying, the SC has not granted any
of Dela Rosa’s requests to prevent his possible arrest based on the ICC
warrant.
When asked if the high court can issue at a later date a
TRO, SC spokesperson Camille Ting said, “Yes.” Asked further if Dela
Rosa can be arrested without a TRO, Ting replied: “This matter is not
covered by the resolution.”
“The resolution only requires the respondents to comment and for petitioner to file a reply,” she added.
Shortly
after his dramatic return to the Senate following months of absence,
Dela Rosa’s camp through his lawyer Israelito Torreon filed petitions
calling on the SC to stop his arrest by the ICC as co-perpetrator of
former president Rodrigo Duterte in crimes against humanity.
He
was also seeking the withdrawal of a subpoena issued by the Criminal
Investigation and Detection Group of the Philippine National Police
ordering him to appear at Camp Crame to answer allegations of
extrajudicial killings during his time as local police chief.
Dela
Rosa lambasted the attempt of the National Bureau of Investigation and
former senator Antonio Trillanes IV to enforce the ICC warrant, even if
Trillanes was a private citizen.
The senator went on Facebook live
at past 5 p.m. on Wednesday to call on his supporters to hold a vigil
outside the Senate building, saying he received information that
operatives from the NBI and the CIDG were on their way to arrest him.