The Department of Justice (DOJ) said that they haven't received a copy of the alleged warrant of arrest issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Senator Ronald Dela Rosa.

In an early Tuesday morning press conference, Chief State Counsel Dennis Arvin Chan, following last Saturday's statement of Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla that a warrant of arrest against Dela Rosa has been issued by the ICC.

Dela Rosa did not attend the resumption of session in the Senate.

The arrest warrant involved Dela Rosa's alleged involvement as head of the Philippine National Police under President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs.

Remulla, in a separate press conference, said he has a copy of the arrest warrant but adds that it is not official.

The Senate has resumed session Tuesday afternoon. Earlier, Senate President Tito Sotto said an arrest of Dela Rosa cannot be done while it is in session.

"We have not seen nor received any copy of this ICC warrant of arrest. We were just reacting to what we heard over the weekend as what has been circulating online," Chan said.

"As to the good senator reaching out to us also we have not received any nor I don't think he will be making such a representation considering that there is nothing to speak of, no ICC warrant," he added.

Chan explained that under Republic Act 9851, the state has options to "surrender or extradite suspected or accused persons in the Philippines to the appropriate international court, if any, or to another State pursuant to the applicable extradition laws and treaties."

However, he also explained that "ICC is not a state that will fall under the definition of a requested state under our extradition law so now the question if they come out for the request for extradition we do not also have a treaty to begin with, with ICC to process that."

On the other hand, Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon said that the government should also wait for the resolution of the Supreme Court of the petition filed by Dela Rosa questioning the arrest and surrender of Duterte to the ICC last March.

"The one who filed the petition at the time was Senator Dela Rosa so we cannot say that why we have to wait when it pertains to. the petition refers to the former president. Actually it made mention the procedure which was adapted by government when it implemented the warrant of arrest in March, but since the petitioner of that particular case is Sen. Dela Rosa himself we find it best that we also await for the resolution of the SC on the matter," he said.

Fadullon said they ''have been told to just wait so I supposed all the pleadings that we were supposed to file had already been filed.''

'It's just a matter of time before the Supreme Court probably will come out with its own resolution," he added. Robina Asido/DMS