Attorney Israelito Torreon, legal counsel of Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, released an official statement on Saturday, saying they will wait for official confirmation from competent authorities instead.

This follows after Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla’s announcement that the International Criminal Court (ICC) had issued an arrest warrant for the senator for being the key figure in the controversial drug on war campaign under former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Torreon said they were aware of reports circulating online alleging that the ICC had issued an arrest warrant against Dela Rosa. He clarified, however, that these reports have yet to be officially confirmed.

“At this point, we do not have independent confirmation as to whether or not this information is accurate,” the legal counsel said.

He also urged the public and the media to be cautious and restrained in sharing or interpreting unverified reports, emphasizing that only official statements from competent authorities or the ICC itself should be considered reliable.

“If proven true, we trust that the Philippine Government will act in accordance with the rule of law, and that any such action shall first pass through the proper local judicial confirmation process consistent with our Constitution, due process, and the sovereign rights of the Republic of the Philippines,” he added.

Torreon stated that they would refrain from issuing further comments for now and would wait for official confirmation before making any additional statements on the issue.