By Nestor Corrales and Stephanie van den Berg
THE HAGUE/MANILA, May 11 (Reuters) – The chief enforcer of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly “war on drugs” locked himself in his Senate offices on Monday after the International Criminal Court unsealed a warrant for his arrest on suspicion of crimes against humanity.
In the hours before the ICC confirmed that the warrant had been issued for Philippine Senator Ronald dela Rosa, allies in the Senate placed him under protective custody after a brief standoff with law enforcement agents.
Authorities did not confirm why officials from the National Bureau of Investigation pursued dela Rosa at the Senate building, but former senator Antonio Trillanes, who led multiple investigations into the war on drugs and long campaigned for Duterte to be indicted by the ICC, told reporters that they were there to serve the warrant.
Duterte, who was president from 2016 to 2022, was arrested by Philippine police in March 2025 and taken to the ICC in The Hague, where judges last month confirmed charges of murder as a crime against humanity, paving the way for trial.
EX-POLICE CHIEF DENIES ROLE IN ILLEGAL KILLINGS
Dela Rosa, who was mentioned by ICC prosecutors as a co-conspirator in the Duterte case, was seen attending a Senate session on Monday for the first time since disappearing from public view in November. He has previously denied being involved in illegal killings.
ICC judges said the killings formed part of a “widespread and systematic” campaign targeting suspected criminals, particularly in anti-drug operations, noting that at least 32 people were killed in incidents reviewed between 2016 and 2018.
The warrant, which was issued in November, alleges that dela Rosa, who led the Philippine National Police at the time, helped implement a broader plan to “neutralise” suspects and took steps to enable and encourage the operations.
“I will face it, as long as they follow the proper process. If there is a legitimate warrant of arrest, they should bring it before the local court, let’s discuss it, and we will face it,” dela Rosa said in a video he posted on Facebook.
Interior Minister Jonvic Remulla said any arrest would have to be processed through the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), because the Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019.
PROTECTIVE SENATE CUSTODY
Video footage displayed during the Senate session showed dela Rosa running away from Philippine agents and stumbling on stairs before reaching the safety of his office.
Dela Rosa is known by the nickname Bato, which means “rock” in Filipino.
“Senator Bato will enjoy the protection of the law and the protection of the Senate in accordance with our rules and Philippine laws,” said Alan Peter Cayetano, an ally of dela Rosa, who was installed as Senate president on Monday.
Shortly before the Senate moved to place him under its protection, dela Rosa’s lawyers petitioned the Supreme Court to stop “any arrest, detention, transfer, or rendition” of the senator to any foreign tribunal, citing reports that the ICC may have issued a warrant of arrest.
Duterte famously promised in public speeches to kill thousands of people. His defence has said he maintains his innocence and that his rhetoric was intended to instil fear and respect for the law.
(Additional reporting by Mikhail Flores and Karen Lema; Writing by Martin Petty and Karen Lema; Editing by David Stanway, Josh Smith and Alex Richardson)
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