‘Delay wounds both camps’: PDP LABAN asks SC to resolve cases on ICC jurisdiction

MANILA — The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan (PDP LABAN) has asked the Supreme Court to promptly resolve pending petitions questioning the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) jurisdiction in the Philippines, saying prolonged delays could have serious consequences for both sides.

In a letter dated October 31 addressed to the chief justice and associate justices, PDP LABAN acting chairman Alfonso Cusi noted that the petitions have been pending for nearly 600 days.

Cusi stressed that no Philippine court has issued an arrest warrant for former President Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, who are both facing allegations of crimes against humanity over the Duterte administration’s drug war.

The ICC has issued separate arrest warrants against Duterte and Dela Rosa. 

Duterte has been detained in The Hague and is awaiting trial before the international tribunal, while Dela Rosa remains in hiding.

“Should the Court hold that the warrant against Senator dela Rosa may lawfully be enforced, PDP LABAN will abide by that ruling; should it hold otherwise, we ask the government to do the same,” Cusi said in the letter.

Cusi also cited the separate petition filed by dela Rosa this year, opposing the implementation of the ICC warrant against him.

“Senator Dela Rosa’s petition is no less urgent, for here delay risks bloodshed,” Cusi wrote. “Should blood be shed, it will stain not only the hands that fired, but every hand that could have prevented it and did not.”

He said the delay affects both the families of victims of the anti-drug campaign, who continue to seek accountability, and the petitioners awaiting a ruling on their rights.

“Delay wounds both camps: the families of those killed in the anti-drug campaign still await accountability, and the petitioners still await a ruling on their rights,” Cusi added.

Cusi clarified that while Duterte and Dela Rosa are both PDP LABAN members, the party sent the letter in its capacity as a third party concerned about how the cases would be heard and decided.

The main petition stems from a case filed by Duterte and dela Rosa on March 11, 2025, challenging the Philippine government’s cooperation with the ICC and seeking to stop the enforcement of ICC-issued warrants.

In May 2026, the Supreme Court denied Dela Rosa’s request for a temporary restraining order and status quo ante order that would prevent authorities from arresting him based on the ICC warrant. However, the high court clarified that it had yet to resolve the main legal issues in the case. 

The ICC unsealed its arrest warrant against Dela Rosa on May 11, 2026. The tribunal alleges that he was responsible for the crime against humanity of murder in connection with his involvement in the drug war. 

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police earlier said it would intensify operations to locate and arrest Dela Rosa, with a national task force coordinating search efforts with regional police offices.

Duterte, who was arrested in March 2025 and transferred to The Hague, is set to face trial before the ICC on November 30, 2026. The tribunal has confirmed three counts of crimes against humanity against him.