In an interview on DZRH's Magandang Umaga Pilipinas, Atty. Israelito Torreon, dela Rosa's counsel said their legal team had already completed its reply in the early hours of Monday and was finalizing the document before filing it on or before 2:00 p.m.
“Sa amin, yung sa amin, we are actually, right now, I'm in the process of finalizing. Tapos na namin kanina ang madaling araw, mga 3 o'clock in the morning yung aming reply to the comment,” Torreon said in an interview.
“I intend to file this on or before 2 o'clock in the afternoon today kasi ang deadline namin Tuesday. Pero hindi na kami maghihintay sa Tuesday,” Torreon said.
He added that although their deadline was on Tuesday, they decided not to wait and instead planned to file the comment earlier while also reviewing suggestions from fellow lawyers offering assistance to the defense team.
“Pinukuha ko lang yung mga iba ding mga comments ng iba nating mga kaibigan mga abogado kasi may mga iba ding mga kaibigan nating abogado who wants to help. Baka naman nila sasabihin, hindi natin sila pinakikinggan. Ina-assess natin yung kanilang mga, what's to call this, opinions din. And if I feel na maganda yung mga argumento, we will find ways how to integrate it in our finished reply already. Tomorrow ang aming deadline. Tapos na namin. I'm waiting for other comments from other well-meaning lawyers,“ he said.
The SC earlier required the parties involved to submit their comments and replies on dela Rosa’s urgent motions within a non-extendible period of 72 hours.
The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) on Friday asked the SC to deny the plea of Dela Rosa in connection with the ICC arrest warrant issued against him.
The senator’s legal camp was directed to formally respond to issues surrounding his plea to stop any possible arrest and transfer under a warrant issued by the ICC.
Last week, the SC en banc deferred action on dela Rosa’s urgent motion seeking to prevent his arrest, detention, and transfer in relation to the ICC proceedings.
Instead of immediately acting on the request, the high court ordered respondents to comment within 72 hours on dela Rosa’s “urgent manifestation with omnibus motion and extremely urgent supplemental manifestation with motion.”
On May 11, the ICC confirmed that an arrest warrant against dela Rosa had been issued confidentially on Nov. 6, 2025, as part of its investigation into alleged crimes linked to the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign.
Dela Rosa, who served as chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) during the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte, sought a temporary restraining order, a writ of preliminary injunction, or a status quo ante order to stop authorities from arresting, detaining, or transferring him without prior judicial authorization.
He also questioned the legality of a subpoena issued by the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) directing him to appear at Camp Crame regarding alleged extrajudicial killings during his tenure as Davao City police director.
In a supplemental manifestation filed before the SC, dela Rosa further alleged that operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) attempted to block his entry into the Senate Session Hall.
The developments came days after reports of gunshots near the Senate complex on May 13 night caused alarm, prompting authorities to conduct an investigation at the scene.
