NAGBIGAY si Sen. Rodante Marcoleta ng kanyang manipestasyon sa naganap na paghabol kay Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa ng National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) kasama si dating Senador Antonio Trillanes IV.
Ito ang kabuuan ng unang manipestasyon ni Sen. Marcoleta na inilimbag ng Senate of the Philippines kahapon, Mayo 11, 2026.
“Mr President, what happened to Senator Bato does not only concern him. Most importantly, this concerns the very institution where he belongs. It is not only a disrespect to an incumbent and sitting senator of the republic, but this is an act ridiculing this institution.
“Hindi po simpleng bagay yun, Mr. President. Kahit na po yung sinasabi natin na wala namang complaint or charges against him, wala naman, bakit sila mag-aaresto, that’s another point, Mr. President. Yun lamang po napigilan siya, na pumasok siya para gampanan ang tungkulin niya. They already violated at least Article 145 of the Revised Penal Code. Marami po ang implication nito, Mr. President. Kamakailan lang, kagaya po ng alam ninyo, naipasa po natin ang Senate Resolution No. 44, which was adopted on March 17, 2026.
“Dito po sa Resolution na ito, Mr. President, dahil ito ay kamakailan lang, alam na alam po natin na ang sense po ng Senate ay na-express sa pamamagitan ng mga sumusunod:
•Una, due process and rule of law must be upheld in any surrender or extradition. Kasi po, nangangamba tayo na isusunod na naman si Sen. Bato sa ginawa nila sa dating Pangulo. Filipinos not formally charged or convicted have the right to due process and will be guaranteed reasonable time and opportunity to seek redress from the courts and avail of any legal remedies available to them before any transfer to foreign or international authorities.
•Ito pa po yung isa, sa sense ng Resolution No. 44, while not legally binding, the resolution reflects the Senate’s opposition against extrajudicial rendition and may be invoked to resist any attempt to arrest or surrender a sitting senatorwithout due process.
“Ito po yung inadopt natin, Mr. President. And there is a relevant precedent. Halimbawa po yung binanggit kanina, former Senator Trillanes. Noong 2018, Mr. President, former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV avoided arrest by submitting to Senate custody after his amnesty was voided. Ang sabi pa nga po noon ni dating, well, the former president of the Senate, our friend, Vicente Soto III, maintained that no senator would be arrested within Senate premises to preserve the institution’s dignity. Salita po ito ng ating colleague, Mr. President.
“The Trillanes precedent shows that the Senate can refuse to allow any arrest within Senate premises even for a non-bailable offense, Mr. President. Senate Resolution No. 44 strengthened this position. While not legally binding, it expresses the Senate’s official stand on this matter.
“Filipinos must be protected from extrajudicial rendition. They must be given reasonable time to seek legal remedies before any surrender or extradition. Due process must be strictly observed. This gives the Senate, Mr. President, a policy basis to resist any attempt to arrest or surrender Senator Bato to international authorities without due process. Even if offense is non-bailable, Senator Bato is still or should still be protected as long as he remains inside the Senate.
“Because number one, the Senate can assert custody over him as it did with Trillanes. Number two, the Senate can refuse any entry to arresting officers. And number three, Resolution No. 44 provides political and procedural justification to delay or prevent arrest or surrender to international authorities.
“Mr. President, the arrest cannot be executed inside the Senate, and the Senator can seek judicial remedies while under Senate custody. Thank you, Mr. President.
[Tumugon ang bagong halal na si Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano , nagbigay ng kanyang manipestasyon, at pagkatapos ay kinilala si Senator Marcoleta]
SP Cayetano: Do you wish that your manifestation be referred to a certain committee?
Sen. Marcoleta: Yes Mr. President but aside from that I’d like to say that newspaper accounts have it that the CIDG issued a subpoena to Senator Bato on issues of extrajudicial killings.
“Mr. President, if that is a fact, then an impending case, a domestic case, is yet to be lodged against the Senator. And therefore, with much reason that the ICC cannot do anything because the case is already actively being pursued domestically. Meaning to say, it is within the ambit of our local jurisdiction.
“And considering that the ICC’s core framework rests on the principle of complementarity, it is with much reason that the ICC has nothing or [does not have] anything to do with this because our domestic law has acquired jurisdiction already. Thank you, Mr. President.