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51m ago

Gunfire Erupts in Philippine Senate During Standoff Over ICC Warrant

The showdown tests the government’s resolve to enforce the ICC order, exposing strains in Manila’s alliances.

SWAT members stand outside the Philippine Senate, which holds Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, the chief enforcer of former President Rodrigo Duterte's drug war, in protective custody amid an International Criminal Court warrant, Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines, May 13, 2026. REUTERS/Noel Celis
Philippine Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, center, speaks to the media during a brief press conference at the Senate of the Philippines in Pasay City Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerard Carreon)
Philippine Senator Ronald dela Rosa speaks to reporters at the Philippine Senate in Pasay, Philippines on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Senate security run after gunfire was heard along a hallway at the Philippine Senate in Pasay, Philippines, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Overview

  • Inside the Senate on Wednesday night, gunfire sent people scrambling during a standoff over Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, with no injuries reported.
  • Police said they detained a suspect at the scene and recovered bullet casings and assault rifle magazines as forensic work and interviews began.
  • President Ferdinand Marcos Jr convened an emergency meeting of security chiefs, denied issuing any arrest order for the senator, and urged calm while inquiries proceed.
  • Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano said the senator is no longer inside the building, though his lawyer said he believes his client remained there, highlighting conflicting accounts.
  • The ICC made the November 2025 warrant public on Monday, alleging murders during the 2016–2018 drug war, and the Supreme Court now faces urgent appeals that could decide whether Philippine authorities can hand him to The Hague.