PALACE Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro criticized Senator Robin Padilla for urging Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa to “never surrender to the foreign power” amid unverified reports that the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against the former police chief.

“Ang mensaheng ganiyan ay nagpapakita lang ng mga taong ayaw sumunod sa batas… Hindi po dapat ina-advise na magtago,” Castro said, stressing that the proper response to any valid warrant is compliance, not evasion.

She added, “Mas magandang ibigay natin na advice ay sumunod sa batas… At kung payo natin kay Senator Bato, hindi po ako ang kaniyang lawyer.”

Padilla, a close ally of dela Rosa, said he has not spoken to him since the senator stopped attending plenary sessions on November 11. He appeared to justify the absence, which began after Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla claimed the ICC had already issued a warrant.

Dela Rosa, the former PNP chief and lead enforcer of the Duterte administration’s drug war, has yet to confirm whether a warrant truly exists.