Philippine Senator Dodges ICC Arrest Warrant in Duterte Drug War Case
Heba Habib
Senator Ronald Dela Rosa fled into the Philippine Congress building after the ICC unsealed an arrest warrant for his role in the bloody drug war under ex-President Rodrigo Duterte. He is accused as an indirect co-perpetrator in crimes against humanity of murder. Dela Rosa appeared Monday for a crucial vote but was forced to flee from waiting agents.
A Philippine senator took refuge inside the country's congressional building after the International Criminal Court (ICC) unsealed an arrest warrant related to his role in the country's deadly war on drugs.
Ronald Dela Rosa was captured by local media running into the Senate building on Monday as police moved to detain him.
The arrest warrant, sealed since November, stems from the former police chief's role in the anti-drug campaign under ex-President Rodrigo Duterte, which prosecutors argue killed tens of thousands during his 2016–2022 term.
The ICC confirmed on Monday evening that the arrest warrant was issued secretly on November 6. The warrant charges Dela Rosa as an "indirect co-perpetrator" in "crimes against humanity of murder."
The former police chief is alleged to bear responsibility for killings that took place between July 2016 and April 2018.
Escape
Duterte is accused of establishing, funding, and arming death squads to kill suspected drug dealers and users during his presidency.
The former head of state was arrested by the ICC and taken to The Hague in March 2025. Charges of crimes against humanity were confirmed in April this year.
The ICC has identified eight co-perpetrators in the case, including Dela Rosa, who ran the Philippine National Police during the peak of the drug war and oversaw campaigns that human rights groups say killed tens of thousands of people.
Rumors of an impending arrest warrant in November had prompted Dela Rosa to withdraw from public life. However, he reappeared on Monday to cast a decisive vote in a Senate leadership coup orchestrated by Duterte ally Alan Peter Cayetano.
But upon arriving at Congress, he found agents of the National Bureau of Investigation waiting, and local media video showed him fleeing through the meeting room hallways.
Cayetano quickly placed the Senate under "lockdown" and told reporters he would only honor arrest warrants issued by Philippine courts.
Late Monday, Dela Rosa went live on Facebook to appeal for support.
"They want to take me to The Hague," he said. "I became national police chief to work, and they're going to treat me like this?"
