The camp of Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa has questioned anew the legal basis of the government's ultimatum for him to surrender and the P50 million bounty offered for information leading to his arrest.
Atty. Israelito Torreon, Dela Rosa's lawyer claimed on Saturday that Philippine authorities have no legal basis to arrest the senator.
“Wala pong constitutional basis because under Article 3, Section 2 of the 1987 Constitution, warrants of arrest can only be issued after there is a finding of probable cause by a Philippine judge,” Torreon told ABS-CBN News.
“Eh dito, wala namang finding of probable cause by a Philippine judge. There are no cases filed here in our country… So walang basis ‘yung pa-surrender-surrender, walang basis yung ultimatum-ultimatum,” he added.
Torreon also questioned the enforceability of the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Dela Rosa.
He argued that the validity of a warrant and its enforceability in the Philippines are two different matters.
“We doubt if it is valid here in our country. But granted for the sake of argument, it is valid, we are sure that it is not enforceable in our country,” he said.
Torreon cited the Philippines' withdrawal from the Rome Statute, which took effect on March 17, 2019, as among the reasons why he believes the ICC warrant cannot be directly implemented locally.
“We dare the Philippine government to file cases here in our country because we are an independent country. If they will file appropriate cases here, I'm sure Senator Bato de la Rosa will face them here in the Philippines,” he added.
Torreon also raised questions over the reported P50-million bounty for information leading to Dela Rosa's arrest, saying existing Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Philippine National Police (PNP) circulars require a Philippine-issued warrant of arrest before a bounty can be offered.
He also questioned how the amount was determined and whether the necessary procedures and approvals had been followed.
“This is the first time that a P50 million bounty has been raised and this is highly questionable,” he said.
Torreon noted that even known terrorists had previously been offered much smaller rewards, while the bounty for fugitive businessman Atong Ang was reportedly around P10 million to P20 million.
He also questioned the source of the funds, saying it remains unclear whether the money would come from confidential or intelligence funds.
The lawyer warned that the bounty could put his client in danger, but expressed confidence that most police officers would only follow lawful orders.
“I hope that majority or great majority of the policemen will follow only lawful orders and I have trust and confidence that a great majority of policemen are decent. There is a cloud of doubt as to whether or not this is in fact a lawful order,” he said.
Torreon also questioned the government's legal mechanism for turning over an accused person to the ICC.
Citing Section 17 of Republic Act No. 9851, he said there are two ways to deliver an accused person to the international tribunal: surrender or extradition.
However, he argued that while the Supreme Court has established rules governing extradition proceedings, there are no corresponding rules and procedures for surrender.
“The only way by which a person accused of a crime before the ICC can be delivered to the ICC is via extradition. Surrender, wala,” he added.
Asked whether he remains in contact with Dela Rosa, Torreon said they last spoke in May 2026, when the senator was still at the Senate.
He said he continues to act as Dela Rosa's legal counsel based on a previously executed special power of attorney.
“Nasabi kasi niya sa akin noon mas mahirap daw kung mag-a-abroad siya in the light of the advancement of technologies in other countries, I do believe, I have reasonable grounds to believe na nasa Pilipinas pa siya,” he said.
He recalled that Dela Rosa had previously told him that going abroad could be more difficult because of advances in technology in other countries.
Meanwhile, Torreon dismissed speculation that a powerful individual or group was sheltering the senator.
“Meron siyang makapangyarihang protektor, napaka-powerful, si Allah at mga angels niya. Prayerful po si Senator Bato Dela Rosa. But as to individuals, person, human-being, wala akong alam no’n,” Torreon added.
This comes as task force leader P/Lt. Gen. Wilson Joseph Lopez said authorities are continuing to verify information on Dela Rosa's possible whereabouts.
Lopez also clarified that authorities have yet to identify any specific group allegedly sheltering the senator, despite earlier claims that a powerful group was protecting him.
Torreon also expressed hope that the Senate would establish a system allowing Dela Rosa to participate in the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte remotely, if he wishes to do so.
He cited a petition filed by Senator Jinggoy Estrada concerning participation in the proceedings and said online or Zoom arrangements could be considered.
Torreon also expressed hope that he could speak with Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla.
“Sana magkausap kami one of these days at maintindihan niya na wala kaming personal na galit sa kanya. Ina-assert lamang natin kung ano 'yong karapatang pantao ng aking kliyente,” he added.
Dela Rosa stopped attending Senate sessions months before the ICC unsealed an arrest warrant against him in May 2026.
The warrant, issued in November 2025, concerns his alleged involvement in the Duterte administration's war on drugs.
He emerged from months of hiding on May 11 to seek refuge inside the Senate building but left days later following a standoff between security guards and investigators attempting to arrest him, during which shots were fired.
That same month, the Supreme Court rejected Dela Rosa's request for a temporary restraining order to prevent his arrest.
The High Court has yet to rule on his petition seeking to have the ICC arrest warrant declared illegal.
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