Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan, on Wednesday, pushed back strongly against the planned ethics complaint by Senator Robin Padilla following a heated exchange during plenary discussions at the Senate, stressing that raised voices and intense arguments are part of normal legislative deliberations.

The confrontation stemmed from a debate on issues related to the attempted arrest of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, linked to an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant, where both senators engaged in a tense floor exchange that later escalated into a potential ethics case filing.

In a statement, Pangilinan dismissed the complaint as baseless and without legal merit.

“Sa haba na panahon ko dito sa Senado… ngayon lang siguro magkaka-ethics case na ganito… Kung laban sa ethics 'yun, marami na sanang mga senador ang sinampahan at pinarusahan. Zero cases,” Pangilinan said.

He added that emotional and loud exchanges are unavoidable in high-stakes debates, noting that no senator has been sanctioned for similar conduct in the past.

“Walang legal na basehan at walang kwenta ang ethics case complaint na 'yan. Hintayin na lang natin yung reklamo niya,” he said.

Pangilinan also signaled readiness to file a counter-complaint, accusing the other side of violating parliamentary rules, improper decorum, and alleged intimidation during the session.

“Hindi uubra ang pambubully at pa-siga-siga sa akin… Hindi ako palaaway, pero hindi ako aatras,” he stressed.

Reports from the Senate incident indicate that the session was briefly suspended as tensions rose, with both lawmakers later maintaining opposing positions on whether the exchange constituted misconduct.