Headstart: Ex-Sen. Antonio Trillanes on ICC arrest warrant vs Dela Rosa | ANC

All right.Joining us now live in the studio for this special coverage of Head Start is former Senator Antonio Trillanes.Thank you for being here, sir.All right.What personality did you have to carry the arrest warrant of the ICC?Did Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano call you?

Is he a sheriff of the ICC?

The reason I was there is because over the weekend, Bato de la Rosa will appear in the Senate for the leadership change.And I have an inkling, because of my engagements with the ICC, that Bato de la Rosa has a warrant.Now, it's incidental that the NBI is there to serve that warrant.If you remember, Bato de la Rosa personally requested that I join his arresting team.

Are you serious?

He said that on National TV.He said he will join.He said he will join.I just did him a favor.I fulfilled the challenge that he gave me.Now, the warrant that I showed, because the media was wondering, they were asking me why the NBI was there, why I was there.

So I borrowed the warrant of the NBI.I showed it to them.The reason was that Bato had a warrant of arrest for the ICC.So I was just informing the public because the NBI operatives were not there to investigate.to talk to the media, so I just did my part.

Okay, but did you coordinate with the NBI?Did you plan to do the arrest together?

No.Again, my presence there was incidental.Now, they planned with the sergeant -at -arms to effect the arrest.Now, we are being erased.You saw, if you just listen to Senator Cayetano, he's like an angel, like Bato de la Rosa is innocent.Let me remind the public that Bato de la Rosa has been found by the International Criminal Court to be a principal in the Crimes Against Humanity case that they did to Duterte, the war on drugs.

Duterte ordered the execution.He executed as the chief of the PNP.The mandate of the PNP was to serve and protect the people.But what did Bato de la Rosa do?They killed the Filipinos.We saw it with our own eyes.

Thousands of people died.Somebody must answer for those deaths.That's why we are pursuing this case.And that's what Cayetano is saying.He didn't recognize it because it was a signatory.He was with the one who concurred in the Senate when we signed the Rome Statute.

Allan Cayetano was one of those who ratified it.Now, the Supreme Court recognized that the jurisdiction of the ICC is recognized up to the time that we are a member.The crimes of Bato de Rosa was when we were still members.All of these were above board according to the law and we have a local law which is RA 9851 which states thatif there is an accused who is being investigated for crimes against humanity by an international tribunal, our authority may surrender this person.So exactly what is happening now.

Okay.Let's go back to the time of Senator Laila de Lima.Laila de Lima said, I will surrender.She didn't want to be arrested.So she had a press conference.I remember that.

And then she was the one who joined the authorities.Can you remind us, what was your experience?

What year was this again?

Refresh all of us.

What's this?2018, rather.Okay.Because you were already a senator then.Yes.So, Duterte took back my amnesty.

And because of that, the rebellion and coup d 'etat cases were revived.My rebellion case in Makati was revived and the judge issued a warrant.Later on, they removed the visa because it was prohibited.Anyway.But what happened that day?So, when the warrant was issued, the arresting team went to the police station.

While in session?

Yes.I thought that senators were exempted from being arrested while in session.

exempted kung ang penalty ay six years and below.So itong rebellion, more than six years.So binasahan ako ng Miranda Rights and I went with the arresting officers.May video yan, covered ng National TV.Kaya ngayon, when he's saying na hindi nangyari yan, parang gano 'n nalang baka dali magsinungaling, no?He was there, they were there.

Anyway, so Our precedence is happening in the Senate, provided that the president passed away six years ago.Yung kay Bato de la Rosa, crimes against humanity, life imprisonment yan.

Okay.But the Senate Resolution No. 44, that Senate President Cayetano said, we will only entertain warrants from local courts.I'm rephrasing it.Hindi yan yung exact.But in effect, that's it.In other words, they will not recognize warrants from local courts.

other courts, foreign courts.

That's absurd, right?So I will still obey the law.The ICC warrant is based on the Rome Statute that we signed in 2011.We are members until 2019.And it is stated in the Rome Statute that even if you leave, In the Rome Statute, the time you were covered, it was still covered.It was recognized by the Supreme Court.

And we have a local law to reinforce that.So what is Cayetano Rito saying?

So do you consider it an advantage with the fact that the Supreme Court has remained silent?It has not decided upon the petitions asking Duterte to be brought back home.calling that illegal, the Supreme Court has remained silent on that.Now, Bato is not a criminal.Antonio Trillanes, Bato is not Laila de Lima.They've already voted to give him protective custody.

And you're a former senator.This is a practical question.I asked Senate President Rilon, what if he sleeps in the Senate for two years?I'm serious.If I were Bato, think practically, I will live there.I will live there.

You can.

If the courts can resolve it, for example, the Supreme Court did not issue a TRO and if there is a local court that will reinforce the ICC warrant, if law enforcers serve that, the Senate, even the Senate Sergeant at Arms, the Senators cannot get in the way because they can be charged with obstruction of justice.That can only buy you some time, but when the legal cover is gone, there's no reason.Do you know the reason last night why the NBI and the Sgt. At Arms got in trouble?Because the Sgt. At Arms were ordered to arrest the NBI.They were just there to serve a valid warrant.The Sgt. at Arms had no reason to arrest and detain the NBI.

The NBI was already detained.

Yes, they tried last night.That's when you can see how much you are not in the place that Cayetano is doing.And they are putting the Sgt. At Arms in danger.They're primarily to arrest the NBI.to ensure order within the Senate premises and protect the senators.But they were ordered to detain.

Now, they're in the NBI's mandate.They can arrest the And I think just to update the public, the Senate Sergeant -at -Arms, Edgardo Rene Zamonte, has resigned.Yes.

Right?And that's because of this incident.So does the Senate President have the power?Here's the situation.Bato de la Rosa will confine himself to his office.You can set up a bed there.

You can eat lunch there.Wait it out until 2028.Can the Senate president prevent police authorities from entering Senate premises?

General Samonte was the previous Sgt. at Arms.He was replaced immediately when Cayetano assumed.Now, this new Sgt. at Arms is the one who is ordering these illegal orders.That's why there was a mess.Now, to answer your question, Sgt. at Arms has no power to prevent law enforcers from serving a valid warrant.Like what I said earlier, when my amnesty was revoked, the policemen were trying to arrest me without a warrant.

Prevented by Senator Soto, who was then the Senate President.he said, you need to have a warrant.Eventually, when the warrant arrived, they let me in and I joined.That's how simple it is.That's why they say that he will stay there for two years.That will not happen because it means that the authority of their mandate has surrendered, which is to, in this case, enforce the law.

Okay.Senator Franklin Delon said that chase was so unfortunate.Senator Dela Rosa lost his dignity.Could the NBI have first coordinated with the Senate?

I would assume so.It wouldn't happen that there would be arresting teams there.I believe they have coordination.Bato Lang was determined to evade arrest.

But he was determined to vote, too.

Yeah.So Bato has a case of evading arrest and he assaulted a law enforcer, an NBI officer.So there are a lot of cases and I hope the NBI is developing this because it cannot be on national TV.We can do this to the NBA agents.It will be a precedent in their future.That's why they need to bring additional cases to BATO.

Two major issues, two national issues, the impeachment of the Vice President and Senator BATO de la Rosa.What is your message to the new leadership of the Senate?

Okay, I've known Senator Cayetano.he's hopeless now.I'm just looking forward.

What do you mean he's hopeless now?

He's where he's wrong.So I know what's good for him.I'm just hoping that this leadership change is temporary.At the soonest time possible, this will be replaced to restore the sanity and dignity of the Senate.Kasi ito yung ginagawa nila, they're creating one constitutional crisis after another para lang maproteksyonan nila interest nila.Pero hindi naman tatagal yun.

And I hope through public pressure, media pressure, and the civil society may pressure itong Senado as an institution, the Senators, na gawin naman nila yung tama.

Thank you so much for joining us this morning, sir.former Senator Antonio Trillanes.