Senate President Francis Escudero released a statement on Friday urging Senator Imee Marcos to 'refrain from using the Senate as a platform for ''her own personal political objectives' as she finished the third hearing on the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

"I urge Senator Marcos to refrain from using the Senate as a platform for her own personal political objectives and to instead use her name, title, and influence as a bridge toward unity, not a wedge for division," Escudero said in a statement.

The statement comes as a response to Marcos' statement released on Thursday, expressing her disappointment after Senator Escudero refused to sign the contempt order against Ambassador Markus Lacanilao.

Escudero explained that the detention order for Lacanilao did not comply with due process.

"For the record, I did not refuse to sign the contempt order of Ambassador Markus Lacanilao... (he) was ordered detained without the requisite approval and due process... For reasons unknown, Senator Imee Marcos appears to have disregarded this long standing rule or conveniently forgotten that the approval of the Senate President is not automatic nor ministerial simply because she desires it," Escudero said.

During the Senate hearing on Thursday, Marcos had cited in contempt Lacanilao for lying and giving misleading statements on the arrest of former president Duterte.

"This isn't just disappointing. It's dangerous. When the Senate's authority is ignored this openly, what's the point of investigations? What's the point of truth? We're setting a terrible precedent - and it won't be the last," Marcos said in her statement.

Escudero issued a show cause order for Lacanilao on Friday to explain within five days why he should not be cited in contempt as requested by Marcos. Yzabela Velez-White/DMS