Sen. Ronald dela Rosa’s camp has strongly objected to the Office of the Solicitor General’s (OSG) description of the lawmaker as a “fugitive,” calling it legally baseless and unfair.
In an 83-page filing before the Supreme Court, the OSG argued that dela Rosa’s actions amounted to evasion of justice in relation to the enforcement of an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant.
The senator’s lawyer, Israelito Torreon, countered that there is no Philippine court-issued warrant or local criminal case against dela Rosa, and questioned the legal basis for enforcing an ICC warrant in the country.
He also raised constitutional concerns, arguing that no domestic law authorizes the arrest or surrender of a Filipino citizen solely based on an ICC order without local judicial proceedings.
The Supreme Court has directed dela Rosa to respond within 72 hours as the legal dispute over ICC jurisdiction and enforcement continues.
Source: PhilNews24 | May 19, 2026
