Cayetano: Senate will 'allow Bato to exhaust all legal remedies' amid alleged ICC warrant

[0:00] Mga kapamilya, makakausap natin ngayon live mula sa Senado [0:04] ang bagong Senate President, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano. [0:09] Mr. Senate President, magandang gabi po. [0:13] Magandang magandang gabi. Karen, ikaw ba yan? Tama ba? [0:15] Yes, si Karen. [0:16] Good evening, Karen. [0:18] Well, una, sir, congratulations to you. [0:20] Pwede bang balikan natin, take us behind the scenes? [0:24] Matagal na kasi ang ugong-ugong na mapapalitan ang liderato. [0:28] Ano po ang naging mit siya? At nabuo po ninyo ang bilang? [1:00] Ang committee's disagreement sa direction nito. [1:03] Matagal na kaming nagbubuo at actually hindi ako yung naging unang choice namin lahat. [1:09] Pero ang daming mga nangyari behind the scenes, whether it was to the private sector, [1:14] whether it was to some people in the executive, mga kaibigan namin sa house, mga pamilya. [1:19] But this morning, I got a call from Sen. Boto that he can be present. [1:23] And so, long and short po, yun ang nakabuo ng 13. [1:28] I was still hoping for 14 or 15 kasi may mga nagsabi din na pag nandyan yung 13 o pumasok sa Sen. Boto. [1:35] But yun nga, nag-unfold yung plot dito ngayon, Karen, na apparently, [1:40] there was yung prevent Boto at all costs from attending the session. [1:44] And yun ang super na nakakalungkot kasi dito mismo, so kanina habulan sa loob ng Senado, [1:51] ngayon may bugugan naman yung isang NBI, in-assault naman ngayon yung isang sa official. [1:56] So I actually have to look at that. [1:58] But I'll use your program, manawagan sa lahat, sa Executive Department, [2:03] cooler heads, mag-usap tayo, we're here to work together. [2:08] Mr. Senate President, dalawang malaking issue. [2:11] Unang-una, si Sen. Boto de la Rosa, pangalawa, ang impeachment na iaakyat sa Senado. [2:18] Anong mga susunod na aksyon o hakbang ang gagawin po ng Senado? [2:23] Ngayong bumoto ang mayorya para ilagay sa protective custody. [2:27] Si Sen. Boto de la Rosa, anong itsura ng protective custody na ito? [2:33] You used the right words na dalawang napaka-importanting issue. [2:38] But actually, it's very simple. [2:39] Sa impeachment, we will simply follow the Constitution and the law. [2:43] When we get the articles of impeachment, we will give everyone a chance to look at the rules [2:49] and then mag-popon din. [2:50] So very much in order, it's very different from the last impeachment [2:55] that was held during the campaign period. [2:58] Hindi ko na i-justify yun kasi sinabi na ng Supreme Court, tama yung mga pagkilos namin doon. [3:03] Senator Boto, it's also very simple. [3:05] Sabi ng ating Constitution, it has to be a Philippine judge issuing a warrant of arrest. [3:13] So if they come here with a warrant of arrest from a Philippine judge, we'll entertain that. [3:18] We will allow Sen. Boto to exhaust all legal remedies. [3:23] And usually, yung Sen. na mismo ang nag-volunteer or nag-surrender kapag na-exhaust niya yung kanyang legal remedies. [3:30] But you come to us, an ICC warrant that we haven't seen with Sen. Trillanes, [3:35] which we do not know whether he's the sheriff of the ICC, whether he's with Interpol or anong role niya. [3:42] And then, ang gagawin ng NBI, imbis na mag-coordinate, [3:46] hahabulin yung isang Sen. para hindi mag-attend ng sesyon. [3:49] Parang napakapangit. [3:51] Karen, sila ang gumawa ng malaking issue to. [3:55] Ang issue lang dito, maka-attend si Boto and due process. [3:58] Yun lang. Ganun lang kasimple. [4:00] Oo. So posible kasi, di ba, na pumunta ang kampo ni Boto sa Korte Suprema to get a TRO. [4:07] Pero posible ba ang tanong ko, Mr. Sen. President, [4:10] boboto ba kayo kung pwede niyong kilalanin o hindi kilalanin etong alleged ICC warrant na ito? [4:20] Pumoto na kami, Karen. [4:23] We already have Sen. Resolution 44, [4:25] na nakalagay doon na dapat tumaan sa korte natin. [4:28] And we reaffirmed that a while ago. [4:31] So, hindi ito bago sa Senado. [4:34] In fact, dapat mabahala tayo kasi sa ruling ng ICC. [4:38] Sa rules kasi ng ICC, after one year na pag-alis mo, [4:43] hindi ka na pwede mang-imbestiga. [4:45] Pero sa kaso ni President Duterte, pwede daw. [4:48] So that means, any member of the Communist Party, [4:51] pag sinabi natin, crimes against humanity, [4:54] any member of the military in any conflict, [4:56] including Marawi and the other skirmishes, [4:59] any cabinet member now can be issued a warrant of arrest [5:02] at bigla na lang ikapin ng ICC. [5:05] Kaya mas naging urgent ngayon na meron court action dito, [5:09] whether it's a lower court or whether rules from the Supreme Court [5:12] in how a foreign warrant of arrest will be executed. [5:17] But the way, Karen, when you look at Canada, [5:19] you look at... [5:21] Ang US kasi hindi pumirma sa ICC, [5:25] but you look at Korea, you look at Canada, [5:28] all the other countries, [5:29] you can go to their court and you're surrendered to their local court [5:33] before you're surrendered to the Hague. [5:34] So why should we be any different? [5:38] Nasa loob pa rin po ba, sir, ang NBI? [5:42] Nasa Senado pa rin po ba at bukas pa rin po ba ang Senado? [5:46] Nakausapin ang NBI? [5:47] About 20 minutes ago, before my interview sa mga kapatid natin sa media dito, [5:52] I gave instructions sa bagong osaan na [5:55] i-lower na yung temperature, [5:57] imbitahin mo na yung director ng NBI kung gusto makipag-usap sa akin, [6:01] sasamaan ako ng dalawang senador, [6:02] so palabasin yung dapat palabasin, [6:05] pero hulihin, i-detain yung mga nanghapol kay Sen. Bato. [6:11] Unfortunately, just as I was walking here, [6:13] yun nga, meron daw altercation at may nasaktan na tag-ausa. [6:18] I-visitain ko nga ngayon sa clinic. [6:20] Hanggang kailan po, sir, ang lockdown po dyan? [6:25] Any minute, we should lift it. [6:26] We want it to be normal here. [6:28] But we're asking the NBI to be circumspect. [6:34] To be prudent. [6:36] Bakit nyo kailangan ng maraming agents sa labas na may mahahabang barel? [6:39] Sen. Bato came here mag-isa. [6:42] Ni wala siya ni isang stock, ni walang driver. [6:45] So what's the issue? [6:47] No one has ever been arrested, [6:49] no senator has ever been arrested in the Senate in that manner or in any other matter. [6:55] Usually, we surrender them on their volition. [6:57] So why can't we follow the President? [6:59] What's so important about Sen. Bato? [7:02] Ang tanong po ng ilan, mas magiging matimbang po ba para sa inyo ang rule of law kesa sa rules ng Senado? [7:14] Pagdating po kay Sen. Bato. [7:16] We're lawmakers eh. We cannot be lawbreakers. [7:20] So the rules of the Senate has to align with the Constitution and the rule of law. [7:25] We cannot violate the law. And so far, it's aligned. [7:28] Ang hindi uma-align dito, yung NBI at si Sen. Trillanes. [7:32] International law, sabi ng Supreme Court, is subject to our Constitution. [7:37] If anything in international law, any treaty na pinasa natin, it's in conflict with the Constitution, [7:43] then it's unconstitutional. We follow our Constitution. [7:46] And all countries around the world have the same stance. [7:50] So if we want to be the first internationalist country wherein ang batas ng mga international organizations [7:56] are higher than our own law, count me out dyan. [8:01] Kasi that's unconstitutional. Hindi nangyayari sa kahit anong bansaya. [8:04] Now Mr. Senate President, gano'ng kabilis magko-convene ang Senado bilang impeachment court [8:11] kung maita-transmit ang Articles of Impeachment bukas? [8:15] I don't want to give any specific dates or assurances, but we will follow the Supreme Court interpretation. [8:22] We will be speedy, yung fortuit. Ngayong gabi, tinitignan na namin yung rules. [8:28] Informally, nakipag-usap kami sa new minority kung ano din balak nila. [8:32] So I leave it up to people to judge, but I don't expect any delays. [8:37] Maraming salamat po sa inyo, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano.