Law enforcement agencies have declared they will enforce arrest warrants against senators even within the Senate premises, stressing that immunity from arrest only applies to offenses punishable by less than six years.
Philippine National Police–Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Director Maj. Gen. Robert Alexander Morico II said that for serious crimes such as plunder, which carry penalties beyond six years, the PNP is mandated to comply with court orders.
“If there’s a warrant, we will enforce it,” Morico said in a press briefing on Monday, June 1.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) echoed the same position, with Director Melvin Matibag noting that serving warrants inside the Senate is not unprecedented, citing the cases of former senators Leila de Lima and Antonio Trillanes IV.
He added that the bureau encountered difficulties only in the case of Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, when Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano issued a protective custody order.
Matibag expressed confidence that no similar intervention would occur if warrants are issued by local courts, such as the Sandiganbayan, which recently filed plunder charges against Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.
He stressed that subpoenas and warrants from local courts must be respected.
Morico reinforced that the CIDG will enforce warrants regardless of the Senate’s position, underscoring that law enforcement cannot be hindered by protective custody orders.
At least four senators, including Estrada, are currently facing plunder cases, raising the likelihood of warrants being served inside the Senate building. (Aaron Recuenco)
