By Liza Soriano
MANILA — Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa stated Thursday (13 Mar 2025) that he stayed in the Philippines to prepare a petition for filing before the Supreme Court (SC) rather than join the PDP-Laban campaign in Hong Kong.
Dela Rosa was among the petitioners for the petition for certiorari and prohibition filed before the SC.
“We weren’t together in Hong Kong. I stayed here. They asked me to handle the legal matters. I coordinated with my lawyer and PRRD’s lawyers to draft the petition for certiorari and prohibition,” Dela Rosa said in an interview with reporters.
“We made sure it was in order. We filed it, hoping for a positive outcome from the Supreme Court,” he added.
The senator mentioned receiving intelligence on the possible implementation of arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court against him and former President Rodrigo Duterte the night before his scheduled flight. However, the former president and other candidates had already arrived in Hong Kong by then.
Earlier, Duterte was arrested by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) upon his arrival in the country.
The former president in in The Hague, Netherlands, where the main office of the ICC is located.
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