SENATOR Robin Padilla said he will file an ethics complaint against Senator Francis Pangilinan for shouting at him amid discussions in relation to the implementation of the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.
In an interview with reporters after a plenary session on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, Padilla said he will file an ethics complaint against Pangilinan if he will not apologize to him on the floor.
“Hindi ko matatanggap ‘yung natural ang sigawan. Not me. Sila kung gusto nila magsigawan sila. Hindi ako kasama dun,” Padilla said.
(I cannot accept that shouting at each other is normal. Not me. If they want to shout at each other, that’s up to them. I’m not part of that.)
“Mag-apologize siya. Kailangan sa plenary niya gawin, kasi sa plenary niya ko sinigawan eh,” he added.
(He should apologize. He needs to do it in the plenary, because he shouted at me during the plenary session.)
The heated confrontation between Padilla and Pangilinan disrupted Tuesday’s Senate plenary session amid deliberations on Senate Resolution 44, a contentious measure in the Philippines expressing the sense of the Senate to protect Filipinos against “extrajudicial rendition” or immediate surrender to foreign jurisdictions without exhausting local legal remedies.
Tensions escalated after Pangilinan objected to Padilla’s manifestation on the floor, arguing that the matter should instead be discussed at the committee level to allow the Senate to proceed with other pressing concerns.
As Padilla attempted to respond, Pangilinan sharply asserted, “For the record, Mr. President, I still have the floor!” a remark delivered in a raised voice that immediately intensified the atmosphere inside the session hall.
Padilla took offense at the interruption by Pangilinan.
The incident prompted Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, who was presiding over the session, to suspend proceedings temporarily in an effort to calm tensions.
Legarda acknowledged hearing Pangilinan’s “loud voice” but attempted to downplay the confrontation, suggesting the senator may simply have been “modulating” his tone because of his broadcasting background.
During the suspension, senators huddled on the plenary floor while Pangilinan tried to reconcile with Padilla by offering a handshake.
Padilla, however, declined the gesture, signaling that emotions remained high despite efforts to ease the standoff.
For his part, Pangilinan dismissed the threat of an ethics complaint, arguing that heated debates and raised voices have long been part of Senate deliberations.
“Yung pagtataas ng boses sa mainit na debate ay hindi man kagustuhan at hindi naiiwasan at malimit na nangyayari sa plenaryo. Kung laban sa ethics yun, marami na sanang mga senador ang sinampahan at pinarusahan. Zero cases,” Pangilinan said in a Facebook post.
(Raising one’s voice during a heated debate is not intentional, and it cannot always be avoided. It often happens in the plenary. If that were considered a violation of ethics, many senators would have already been charged and penalized. Zero cases.)
“Kung sakali man, sasagutin ko ng kontra-reklamo sa Ethics Committee sa kanyang paglabag sa parliamentary rules at pagiging out of order at sa kawalan ng proper decorum, ang pagbabanta sa akin, pananakot at paninindak sa akin sa plenary session kanina habang naka recess,” he added.
(If that happens, I will file a counter-complaint before the Ethics Committee for violations of parliamentary rules, being out of order, and lack of proper decorum, including the threats, intimidation, and harassment directed at me during the plenary session earlier while it was in recess.)
On Monday, May 11, a commotion ensued upon Dela Rosa’s arrival in the Senate, after a six-month absence, as National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) personnel allegedly prevented him from going inside the hall, resulting in a staircase chase.
Dela Rosa showed up just in time for a coup that ousted Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III.
The NBI attempted to serve the arrest warrant issued by the ICC to Dela Rosa. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)