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3h ago

ICC Unseals Warrant for Philippine Senator Dela Rosa as Senate Shields Him

The standoff highlights a test of ICC authority against domestic political protection in the Philippines.

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Philippine Senator Ronald dela Rosa, ​the chief enforcer of former President Rodrigo Duterte's deadly "war on drugs," answers questions from journalists at the Senate in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines, May 12, 2026. REUTERS/Noel Celis
MARAWI CITY, PHILIPPINES - 2017/07/06: Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa personally visits Marawi City and talks with the mayors of Lanao Del Sur on the planning of the Islamic City's rehabilitation and reconstruction after devastation brought by the insurgency. (Photo by Sherbien Dacalanio/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
FILE - Policemen check the gun recovered from one of two unidentified drug suspects after they were shot dead by police while trying to evade a checkpoint in Quezon city, north of Manila, Philippines, Sept. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

Overview

  • The ICC, which quietly issued the warrant on November 6, 2025, confirmed late Monday that it charges Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa with the crime against humanity of murder for at least 32 killings from July 2016 to April 2018.
  • Video from the Philippine Senate showed National Bureau of Investigation officers chasing Dela Rosa through the halls as he rushed inside, after which senators placed him under protective custody.
  • Dela Rosa reappeared to vote for Alan Peter Cayetano’s elevation as Senate president, and hours after the leadership change Cayetano said the chamber would only honor an arrest order from a Philippine court as NBI agents stood down.
  • Amnesty International urged authorities to arrest Dela Rosa and surrender him to The Hague, pointing to a Philippine law that allows handing suspects to international tribunals.
  • Former president Rodrigo Duterte is already in ICC custody after a March 2025 arrest, with judges in April 2026 confirming crimes against humanity charges, and prosecutors list Dela Rosa as an indirect co‑perpetrator in the same investigation.