Justice Secretary Frederderick Vida confirmed on May 14 that Manila has received the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, 64, a former national police chief. He is accused of crimes against humanity for leading the anti-drug campaign that resulted in thousands of extrajudicial killings from 2016 to 2019. “We will certainly comply with the ICC’s request,” Vida told reporters, but noted they are awaiting a Supreme Court ruling on the senator’s petition challenging the warrant’s legality.
Earlier, on May 11, dela Rosa appeared at the House of Representatives to vote in a leadership race that could empower a Duterte ally. But spotting law enforcement waiting, he fortified his position inside the building and fled. Two days later, a gunfire incident erupted as armed soldiers stormed the legislative building’s stairway to arrest him, but by May 14 the Senate president confirmed dela Rosa was no longer inside. His whereabouts remain unknown. Vida warned any attempt to help him leave the country would be “a mockery of justice.” Border patrol agents have been ordered to detain him if he tries to exit.
Dela Rosa faces charges similar to those against Duterte, who has been held at the ICC in The Hague since March 2025. The ICC estimates the former president’s “war on drugs” caused 12,000 to 30,000 deaths. The wanted senator is listed as one of eight co-perpetrators and accused of being Duterte’s chief henchman. In an interview broadcast May 14, dela Rosa vowed to “use every available remedy” to prevent his surrender to the ICC.
